


You Made My Day Beautiful

by nightinjae



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Historical Inaccuracy, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Jae is a writer, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Time Travel, Wonpil is a lost child, but it gets cleared up, i think, its kinda confusing, rated for language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23769340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightinjae/pseuds/nightinjae
Summary: The trouble is, youthinkyou have time.— Jack KornfieldWherein Wonpil gets randomly thrown back and forth within time and he tries to find a reason as to why. He does and he tries his best to do everything right.Until it's too late.
Relationships: Kim Wonpil/Park Jaehyung | Jae
Comments: 33
Kudos: 69





	1. i.

**Author's Note:**

> hi
> 
> so ive actually posted this story before but i deleted it because i felt so bad about it and now i got around to rewriting it and finishing the plot ! this is based on the you made my day fanmeet poster where theyre wearing brown and beige and all that 
> 
> this fic might be around 10 chapters and an epilogue, im sorry if things kinda get confusing somewhere in the middle
> 
> ill update this as constantly as i can since we're in quarantine and all that
> 
> also!! im sorry but some people might find it cringe that i have to use brian to refer to younghyun, but it kinda makes sense better that way, with the context and all. anyway. 
> 
> i hope you enjoy :DD

Wonpil hums under his breath as he flips through his readings, anotating and underlining important keywords and phrases. Music played softly through his speakers that he keeps on the window sill, next to a few potted plants and trinkets. It's peaceful, and he was glad that he had a schedule that lets him enjoy his time like this. His friends tells him how much of a 'lucky bastard' he is—Younghyun's words.

His phone vibrates as he moves on to the next page, startling him slightly. Their group chat names pops up in his notifications, Younghyun spamming the chat again. "Speak of the devil." he mutters, dropping his pen and picking up his phone.

**2:48 pm**

**yongk**

guys

guys

gysu

guys !!

i have a proposition

**songjin**

no

**yongk**

oh come on hyung

you dont even know what it is yet :((

**pencil**

im down

i have nothing to do today :DD

**songjin**

lucky you

**dough**

hyung trade scheds

but im g too

**pencil**

nah

**yongk**

okay since i have my supporters

i propose thrift shopping today

**pencil**

thrift shopping?

**yongk**

yeah!!

get a hell lot of things for a low price

plus i need more clothes

i heard theres a lot of new stock rolling in

jimin told me so

and she offered to alter some for me if i bought some for her

**songjin**

bri your closet is a fucking mess

**dough**

language

... hyung.

**pencil**

oof

okay yeah im down

i could try to get a few things

**dough**

you think they have a few vinyls??

**yongk**

hell yeah

**dough**

nice

**yongk**

okay so

right after everyone is free im taking yall to that thrift shop i saw the other day

who has the latest class?

**pencil**

i think its sungjin hyung

he has chem at 3:30 to 4:30

**songjin**

yup

**yongk**

hyung skip class

**songjin**

fuck no

**yonk**

hyung please

if we have u no one is at risk of getting arrested

pleaaaase ฅ՞•ﻌ•՞ฅ

**songjin**

jesus christ

fine

but only because legal procedures are a pain

and im doing well in chem

and definitely not because of that annoying emoji please take it away

**yongk**

thank u hyung ouo

**songjin**

this is adult supervision

**yongk**

yes yes whatever u say

womp we'll pick u up on the way since the way to ur apartment is in the same route

**pencil**

oki

what time are yall getting me

**yongk**

give or take

20 minutes?

**dough**

ya

**songjin**

i cant believe im skipping classes because of thrift shopping

**pencil**

hyung u love us :)))

**songjin**

on second thought

**yongk**

hyung no >:0

Wonpil laughs at his friends bantering. He stretches his hands over his head as he lets out a sigh. His readings can wait. He tidies up the materials, slotting his pens and highlighters in their proper cups. Standing up, the music switches to a song that he wasn't familiar with, but he shrugs it off; it's probably a song Dowoon told him about before and forgot to indulge himself in. It's nice. _Calming_.

He decides to lie down for a bit, 20 minutes is a long time after all. He scrolls through his social media, passing by dog pictures and conspiracy threads on Twitter. Some catch his eye, some just make him roll his eyes at the audacity.

After a few moments, he stands up and changes out of his clothes. Taking a big shirt and some shorts from his closet, he goes into the bathroom to take a really quick shower and changes into them. He checks the clock, notices that his friends should be here in around 3 minutes. He hums under his breath again, humming to the song playing through his speakers right now before he gets interrupted by a knock on his door.

He opens it up to a Younghyun that was smiling was too bright. "Hey. Ready?"

"Yup." He leaves the door open to fetch his wallet and keys, turning everything off and double checking before stepping out and locking his door. "So, where is this thrift shop?"

"You'll see. Let's go?"

"Sure. Let's grab food after too, I haven't eaten." Wonpil adds, garnering sounds of agreement from his friends.

—

The thrift shop is a hole in the wall kind of store, there isn't anyone else in there besides them and the employee manning the cashier. Younghyun's eyes lights up as he sees an article of clothing he liked, gathering up others to go with it. Dowoon immediately goes to the crates of vinyl records and Sungjin busies himself with a few books.

Wonpil doesn't really know what to look for.

He spots shelves by the corner filled with novelty items and long forgotten trinkets from trips around the world. He walks towards it out of pure curiosity. There was a typewriter that was _way_ older than he is and snowglobes from several places in Russia, if his geography was correct. There are also boxes of postcards, pictures of people whose owners probably lived and died decades ago.

There are pieces of jewelry whose color faded long ago, growing dull, but Wonpil assumes it's restorable. He picks up a small music box, studying it before opening it. In the middle of the box sits a boy holding a small picture frame, similar to size of a tiny locket. The frame contains a faded picture with indecipherable initials written with what he assumes was a fountain pen.

He places it back down with a small smile on his face. He was about to meet back up with the group when a something catches his eye.

It's hidden behind a few empty picture frames and statuettes. Wonpil reaches behind them, getting ahold of a camera. It isn't anything fancy—it _is_ an old model, silver with a black faux leather front. It's operated with film, the indicator on the top saying that it still had a single shot left.

"Wonpil? Did you find anything?"

Wonpil slightly jumps as Younghyun calls him. He takes one last look on the camera before deciding to get it and reply to his friend.

"I did, be there in a sec!"

He rushes to the counter with the camera in hand, his friends already talking about their haul. Wonpil pays for the camera, noting how the employee's face contorts slightly with confusion.

"Uh, I guess this is around 20,000 won." He says, uncertain. Wonpil brushes it off and pays anyway. He picks it up gently, careful not to drop it knowing how clumsy he can be. He heads out of the store where his friends were waiting.

"You got a camera? Damn, it looks pretty decent. How much did you get it for?" Younghyun questions, eyeing the gsdget in Wonpil's hands.

"20k? The guy wasn't sure though."

Younghyun dramatically gasps, startling both Dowoon and Sungjin. The older boy hits him upside the head, startling him in return. Sungjin mumbles something in the lines of ' _Drama queen'_ under his breath, making Wonpil giggle as Younghyun pouts.

The sun is starting to set and the path they were on was pretty empty. Wonpil stops in his tracks, watching as his friends walk past him. They stop a few steps, realizing that Wonpil was fiddling with his camera.

"Taking a shot?" Dowoon asks. Wonpil looks up at them with a huge grin, nodding vigorously.

The three of them stand on the center of the path, the sun barely peeking behind an apartment building. The wind blows and leaves start to fall almost cinematically. Wonpil waits for the right moment before pressing the button. The shutter snaps as the picture is taken,the last of the film being used up.

He really hoped the film was still okay.

—

Wonpil sets the camera down on his bedside table before immediately lying down on his bed with a grunt. He had his eyes closed as he lied down on his back. He opens them a few seconds later, blinking to let his eyes to adjust further in the darkness of his room. He studies his ceiling which still had those glow-in-the-dark stars, faded and barely giving off light and he considers buying new ones. He notices that the one by the corner still had a little bit of a glow despite having been used for nearly a decade now.

He decides to stay up a bit more, opening his phone to a couple of unread messages from the group chat.

**11:32 pm**

**yongk**

hey wonpil

** _@pencil_ **

develop the pictures tomorrow if the film is still ok !!

lets see what that camera hides

**dough**

thats creepy hyung

what if we see pictures of dead chopped up bodies

or worse

**songjin**

enough go to sleep

**pencil**

_**@yongk**_ ill try to hyung

goodnight

**songjin**

goodnight

**dough**

dont say i didnt warn you

dead bodies

>:[

**songjin**

shut up kid

**yongk**

thanks pil nd goodnight!!

Wonpil smiles a little to himself, finally feeling sleepy enough to actually sleep soundly.

—

He stirs from his sleep, sneezing and jolting himself awake. He blinks blearily, raising his head from where it was resting on his arms. The action in itself confuses Wonpil, since he remembers falling asleep in his bed. He sneezes again, sitting up straight when he notices someone jump in his peripherals. He mutters an apology, patting his nose with his sleeve. He pulls his arm from his face, confusion flooding his features as he sees the cloth on his arm. "What..."

He looks down on himself, heart thumping in his chest as he sees himself wearing beige clothes that he doesn't remember putting on, or even owning. He's in some brown colored pants paired with a soft beige sweater; his hands pat around himself confusion and a slight tinge of anxiety growing in his chest. He looks up at the room he's in.

The walls are filled to the brim with books, some obviously more worn than others. Sunlight filters through the window on the wall to his left, making the dust particles flying around visible. In front of him are more wooden tables like the one he was sleeping on, and another bookshelf behind the last table. "Where am I..." He mumbles to himself.

He slightly cranes his neck to peek through the window, looking out to the streets that were definitely unfamiliar to him. Outside, there are trees with leaves of various orange hues falling to the asphalt. People walking outside were sporting clothes that Wonpil would categorize as smart casual 90s. The sun is slowly setting, Wonpil makes a rough guess of the time. _Around 4 pm, maybe?_ He hums.

After sitting for a while, the realization of being at a completely different place settles in him and he slowly starts to panic. He doesn't know where he is, most likely doesn't know anyone, and he doesn't know how to get home. His throat is closing as he starts to choke on his tears, breathing starting to pick up pace, and his vision starting to get distorted with the tears filling his eyes.

 _Maybe,_ he starts to try and reassure himself. _Maybe, this is all a dream._ he says in his head. He remembers Dowoon rambling about lucid dreaming and sleep paralysis one time when they both stayed up till 3 am diving through the internet. He nods to himself, determined to wake himself up.

He squeezes his eyes shut, hand reaching over to his arm to pinch himself. He hisses at the pain but he wills himself to open his eyes again, hoping that he'd wake up. But he doesn't.

_He's already awake._

The panic washes over him stronger this time and he's struggling not to cry and sob. He manages to try and breathe but it starts getting too much—the sun seems to set faster than he thinks, the sky slowly turning into a bright orange and he's struggling clear his head and _think_.

He figures that he was starting to cry and sniffle loud enough for someone to approach him, slightly jumping when someone taps his shoulder. He wipes his eyes on the sleeves of his shirt, still hiccuping before looking at the person in front of him.

" _Excuse me, a-are you okay?"_

Wonpil wishes he listened more during English class.

He understood the question though so he stares up at the man before slightly shaking his head, feeling his tears start to fall again. The person gently places down his things on the table before sitting down in front of him.

" _What's wrong? Do you mind telling me? Are you hurt?_ "

Wonpil looks down at the table. He understood a bit of that but what could he even answer?

" _I—_ " He tries before sighing. " _I don't...English? I'm Korean._ "

Wonpil looks at the person whose eyebrows furrow in confusion. He figures it was hopeless so he was about to shake his head and apologize and leave when the person speaks up again.

"Korean? You're Korean?"

The words don't register in Wonpil's head until a few second later. He nods slowly and the other person hums.

"You know how to speak Korean?" Wonpil tries, wincing at the way his voice cracked. The other person nods, a small smile finding its way onto his face.

"I do. You can kind of consider me fluent?" He laughs a bit to himself before directing his attention back to Wonpil. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Um... before that, can I ask what date it is today?" Wonpil asks.

"Today is the 16th of October, 1975."

 _1975?!_ Wonpil swallows down the next wave of panic, breathing out shakily.

"What's wrong?" The person asks again. "You seems really shaken."

Wonpil opens his mouth to speak but he stops before he could get a word out. How was he even gonna try explaining his situation? _Hey, actually I'm from the year 2020 and I should be back at home in Korea but somehow I ended up in this place and I don't know how to get back to my time._

Yeah, not a chance.

"I'm kind of...lost. And I have nowhere to go, I don't even know this place." He looks at the other, eyes glossy with tears. "I don't belong here." he adds, voice small and breaking at the end.

The person's eyebrows furrows in confusion again in his choice of words but nods along anyway.

"Okay so, uh, what's your name?"

Wonpil blinks. "Oh, right. Wonpil. Kim Wonpil."

"I'm Park Jaehyung. Or just Jae." He looks at his things before looking back at Wonpil.

"You said you had nowhere to stay right?"  
  
—

Wonpil is glad. Grateful, thankful, in debt to whatever God gave him help in his time of need.

Jae's flat is cozy, homey in a typical old fashioned sense. The 2 of the walls has wallpaper on them but the others are just bricks whose edges were cleanly sanded and Wonpil thinks it is quite aesthetically pleasing.

Jae tells him to sit. He does.

"W-wait, why are you helping me?" Wonpil asks. "I mean, I'm really glad and thankful because if you aren't doing any of this, I'd probably still be crying and just have mental breakdown in the streets."

Jae looks at him with an amused face. "You just said it." And Wonpil keeps his mouth shut as Jae moves around the apartment.

"Actually, I also don't know why I'm doing this. I guess it was mostly out of pity. You had nothing and you don't know how to speak English. You could be a scammer or a serial killer out to murder me—though you definitely look to soft for that, but who knows, right? " Jae hands him a cup of tea. "But maybe it's also for the company."

Wonpil looks down into the cup. "What kind of tea is this?" He asks in a small voice.

"Chamomile to calm you down."

Wonpil nods even though he wasn't sure if Jae was looking. He takes a sip, nearly burning his tongue off but he sighs after a while.

Jae sits in front of him. "So, mind telling me your story?"

Wonpil stills. Blanks out. He blinks. "W-what?"

"Tell me your story. How'd you get here and get lost?"

Wonpil thinks to himself for a moment, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. "You wouldn't believe me if I did." he sighs.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because even _I_ don't know this happened."

"Then tell me. We could figure it out together."

Wonpil looks into Jae's eyes. "Are you sure?" Jae nods.

What he said earlier about no chance of him explaining his situation? He's taking that back.

"Okay so..." Wonpil looks away and opts to stare at the wall behind Jae. "I'm actually from the future?"

Jae blinks once. Twice. And then he lets out a laugh. "Okay, that's a nice plot you got there. Are you a writer too?"

"No, Jae. I'm telling you the truth. I'm from the year 2020 and I live in Seoul, South Korea. I'm currently in my last year of college majoring in Music Production and the last thing I remember doing before I woke up in this year was taking a picture using some stupid camera I picked up at a thrift store and then falling asleep after getting home." Wonpil takes a deep breath after that before remembering the camera.

"The camera—"

"Okay, hold on." Jae gets up, not looking at Wonpil. "I think you need to get some rest. Maybe all that panicking is making you delirious?" He clears his throat, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"What? N-no—" Wonpil tries, setting the cup down on the coffee table as Jae grabs his coat.

"Go sleep, I'll just go run some errands. I'll be back in few and we can talk again, alright?" He waits for Wonpil to answer but the boy in question just seems even more conflicted so he sighs. "Hey, Wonpil."

"H-huh? Oh, yeah. Sure. Okay." Wonpil replies, head hanging low right after. Jae opens his mouth to say something else, but he shakes his head and leaves.

The door closes behind him, leaving Wonpil to wallow in his regret. He shouldn't have, he _knew_ he shouldn't have said anything because of course Jae's going to think he's some kind of lunatic. He stands up and paces around the room. He sighs in exasperation after a few minutes, sitting down on his heels and hiding his face in his palms. "Stupid, _stupid_ Wonpil."

He stands back up, moving around to close all the lights and other things that are on. He wants to take a walk but he pauses in his tracks, thinking how he would get back inside if he locks the door. His eyes dart to the little table by the side of the door, noticing a key on the plate placed there. It's probably not the key, not by a long shot, but he tries anyway. He opens the door, key on hand before pressing down on the lock. He inserts the key into the hole and twists, praying that it works. The lock clicks open and Wonpil sighs. He pockets the key and locks the door behind him.

—

The sun has almost set completely, slowly giving way for the stars to light up the sky. The lamp posts are lit up and the asphalt is covered in fallen leaves crunching under Wonpil's shoes. He shoves his hands into his pockets, taking note of the buildings he's passing by so that he remembers how to get back to Jae's apartment.

The place is definitely unfamiliar, it doesn't look like anything like Korea at all. It reminds Wonpil of pictures he saw of Old England when he scrolls through the internet, or places similar to it. All he knows is that he's probably not in Asia anymore. He sighs, worrying how he'd make his way around—he doesn't really know a lot of English, only the basic words and greetings like _'Hello'_ and _'How are you?'._ He kicks a pebble off the sidewalk, humming a song he vaguely remembers playing in his room. He looks back up, deciding to appreciate the view and all that. He takes a deep breath, not caring if he looks stupid or out of place.

A few minutes into his walk, he finds himself in a park with a few benches and street lights scattered around. On one end of the park was a sidewalk with concrete fences, the view looking out to a lake. There's a person leaning on the fence, his hair being whipped around by the wind blowing past. Wonpil squints to take a better look at the person's face.

There's no mistaking it.

"Y-Younghyun hyung?" he whispers under his breath. He walks towards the boy whose black hair looked way too familiar. Wonpil's heart squeezes but he remembers his situation. _This isn't his Younghyun hyung_.

" _E-excuse me?_ " Wonpil tries as he reaches the other boy. " _A-are you—_ " he pauses, remembering his hyung's English name. " _Are you Brian?_ "

The other boy blinks at him. " _Who's asking?_ "

Wonpil starts to stutter. " _U-uh, you no—don't know me._ "

The other boy hums in thought. " _You aren't an English speaker._ " Wonpil nods.

" _Korean?_ "

Wonpil nods enthusiastically. " _You know Korean?_ "

Younghyun—or Brian rather, makes a gesture. _So-so. Better than not at all_ , Wonpil thinks.

"So how do you know me? Seen me in the news?" Brian asks, adjusting his position to face Wonpil.

"Uh, no. I just—I mean, I know someone who's really similar to you."

"Oh? Name and all?"

"Y-yeah." _Crap_ , Wonpil thinks. _How am I going to explain that?_

"Maybe that _is_ me." Brian chuckles and Wonpil gives him a nervous laugh in return. A silence settles over them, both of them just looking towards the lake for a moment. Brian faces him again. "So, what's up? Is that the only reason you approached me?"

"More or less." Wonpil replies. He doesn't want the conversation to end yet, though. This was the closest thing he could get to something familiar to him. So he thinks up of a topic. "Do you know Park Jaehyung?"

"Park Jaehyung? Yeah. He's a pretty well known writer, I've written news articles about him and his books before. Why?"

 _A writer?_ "Nothing. He's just the one helping me right now since I don't have anything. At all. Not even a place to stay." Wonpil sighs, placing his arms on the concrete fence, resting his chin on them. "I don't know where I am or how I got here, but I guess I'm stuck here for the time being."

Brian doesn't reply for a moment, but his voice is laced with sympathy when he does. "I'm sorry to hear that. Can I ask what happened to you?"

Wonpil looks at him, before sighing again. _Would he risk painting himself as a lunatic again?_ He thinks. "You wouldn't believe it if I did tell you."

"Why not?"

"It's all so absurd and just," He sighs again. "I dunno, it's complicated. I don't know how to explain it without sounding actually insane."

"I'm willing to listen. You seem troubled about it." Brian looks out to the lake. "I know how it feels though, being thrown to a place you don't know. It's terrifying."

"Yeah." Wonpil quietly adds. "Are you sure you wanna listen?"

"Yeah."

And so Wonpil tells him. He tells Brian the entire story, including the part where he says he's from 2020 and explaining how he knew Brian. He tells him about the camera, waking up and crying, Jae finding him and helping him before leaving him after telling the same exact story.

"It's okay, I understand if you don't believe a single thing I just said and me telling this entire thing definitely made you think I'm out of my mind or something. I did warn you." He ends with a sigh, fiddling with his hands.

"Don't worry, I believe you."

Wonpil's eyes light up at that, widening in disbelief. "Y-you do?"

Brian nods. Wonpil asks why. "I just do. I feel like you're telling the truth." Then he smiles. "We can talk more tomorrow if you want. I hope you get back to your time soon."

"I hope so too." Wonpil smiles. "Are you sure you want to talk to me again?"

"Well, if future me befriended you, why shouldn't I? You seem pretty nice, I can see why I did." Brian pauses. "Or well, I guess not future me, but rather me in a next life." He smiles and Wonpil frowns. He straightens up, putting a hand in one of the pockets of his coat. "You don't know anything about this place right? I'll tell you everything you want to know tomorrow. There should be a coffee shop somewhere in the street where Jaehyung lives."

"You know where he lives?"

"Yeah, I've been there before when his editor hired me to write about him. So we could meet there if you want. I'll treat you to coffee." Brian smiles warmly at him and Wonpil nods, a huge grin on his face.

"Thank you, Brian. So much. You have no idea how much talking to me and believing me helps. I feel so much better. I feel like I'm home with you." He adds but immediately slaps a hand to his mouth when he hears Brian laugh. "Sorry, that must've sounded weird."

"No worries, kid. I'm glad to be of help."

—

Wonpil walks back to Jae's apartment, the heavy weight on his chest relieved with his talk with Brian. He hums lightheartedly, noticing that it's getting really late. He slightly speeds up, worrying that Jae might come home to him missing.

He walks up the steps of the apartment, wiggling the doorknob to check if Jae was inside. The lights are still off and the door was still locked so Wonpil guessed Jae wasn't home yet. He pulls out the key from his pocket and unlocks the door quietly, pushing it open and flipping the lights on. He removes his shoes as he closes the door behind him.

He pads around the living room for a few minutes, looking around and all that. He sees the teacup he left on the coffee table and he frowns. The tea was now cold and disgusting, some of the tea sediments settling on the bottom. He picks it up, throwing the liquid down the sink and setting the porcelain on the counter nearby gently.

He walks back to the sofa, lying down. Questions start to flood his mind as soon as his back hits the cushions, eyebrows furrowing. Is time stopped back home? Is he in a different timeline? Why is he here? Does the camera have anything to do with this? He breathes. There were too many questions and absolutely no answers, so he closes his eyes and moves his arm to rest on them.

Those questions can wait, he thinks. The exhaustion was slowly creeping onto him, lulling him to sleep.

He'll figure it out soon. _Maybe._


	2. ii.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haheheah yeah i have nothing to say aside from apologies for grammar and spelling errors, i partially proofread this at 1:30 am heh _**oops**_
> 
> also reminder of the historical inaccuracies tag — i did a bit of research before finishing this to keep the inaccuracies minimal but its probably not enough. anyway . 
> 
> happy reading!

Wonpil wakes up to an unfamiliar ceiling.

He panics internally for a moment, his fight or flight response activating before yesterday's events wash over him like cold water. He sighs, closing his eyes again. _Right, he's stuck in the past._ He lifts his arm from under the blanket ( _when did that get there?_ ) to cover his eyes as he tries to clear his head before it gets too messy in there.

He takes his arm off his face after a few minutes and he looks down on the blanket on his body. _Jae must've given it to me last night._ he thinks and the thought makes him smile. He looks at the coffee table and there was a change of clothes folded neatly on top, making Wonpil bite his lip down as his smile slowly widens.

He doesn't actually know what his agenda is today but his stomach rumbles in the middle of racking his brain for his to-do list. He realizes he hasn't eaten anything since he got into this mess so he stands up, throwing the covers off his body and sitting up. After a moment of staring at nothing, he stretches until he hears a satisfying pop from his joints, a soft groan escaping his lips. After another few moments of letting the sleep completely leave his body, he stands up and pads over to Jae's bedroom. The door was slightly open and Wonpil can see Jae's sleeping form on the bed through the crack. He slowly moves away, standing in the middle of the living room and thinking of what to do. He doesn't want to rummage through Jae's kitchen but he's _really_ hungry and he doesn't want to wake Jae up since it seems like he went to bed quite late.

Wonpil ends up going to the kitchen, looking through Jae's fridge for food that he could cook for breakfast. He takes out some eggs, a couple slices of bacon, and some butter and preserves to put on bread. He can't help but miss his usual breakfast of rice, kimchi, and other various side dishes but he shrugs the feeling off, focusing on the task at hand. Shaking the thought out of his head, he takes some bread from where it was sat in a plastic bag at the corner of the counter, grabbing a knife to cut it into slices. He pops them into the toaster right after, pushing down the handle and nods when he hears it click, the gadget immediately heating up the bread. Next, he places a pan on the stove, turning it on and waiting for the pan to be slightly hot before pouring a bit of oil. While he waits for the oil heat up, he gently takes out plates from the cupboard, trying his best not to make too much of a noise. He sets the porcelain down on the counter beside him before grabbing an egg and cracking it on the edge of the pan. It sizzles as soon as it hits the oil, making Wonpil smile. He adds 3 more eggs into the pan, the translucent glob immediately turning a solid white as Wonpil sprinkles a little bit of salt on the yolk. He grabs a spatula, letting the eggs sizzle and brown on the edges for a bit more before he takes them and places them into the plate.

"No broken yolks, that's a record for me." He mutters to himself as soon as he places the last one. He giggles to himself before immediately taking the bacon slices and put them on the pan, jumping away when the oil pops and scares him. He stays at a distance for a moment, craning his neck to look whether the bacon was cooking well or not. The room is starting to smell amazing and Wonpil wonders whether he was making too much of a ruckus that it wakes Jae up. He tiptoes back into the living room, straining to hear if Jae was up and moving about. He doesn't hear anything but the sizzle of the meat so he shrugs and goes back to the stove, flipping the bacon.

He hums the same song from yesterday under his breath as he turns off the stove right after hearing the toaster go off, popping the bread back up nice and toasted. He places the bacon strips on the plate beside the eggs before taking another plate to put the bread on. He grabs a butter knife and 2 spoons from the cutlery holder Jae keeps nearby and he moves to sit down on the table where he placed everything.

He doesn't want to dig in yet, not without the homeowner in the room with him. He stands back up, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room again, taking a peek through the Jae's open the door. The said boy hasn't stirred from his sleep, hasn't even moved and Wonpil's stomach rumbles again. He sighs, giving up and opting to just leave Jae a note before he leaves to meetup with Brian.

He grabs a notepad that was left under the coffee table and Wonpil looks around the place for any kind of pen. He finds one laying around the dish where he found the keys to Jae's apartment, which he hasn't returned. He picks the pen up and replaces it with the keys that are still in his pocket.

Walking back to the kitchen, he sits himself down and eats first while the food was still kind of hot. As he munches on a bacon strip, he think of what he should leave on the note. Jae probably knows who Brian is, after all, Brian has interviewed the guy. But he'll end up questioning how Wonpil got to meet him. He shrugs, guessing that he'll have to deal with that when he comes back. He grabs the butter knife and spreads butter on a bread slice, before placing strawberry preserves on the other. The room is silent save for Wonpil's soft chewing and the clinking of silverware against porcelain. He wonders what time Jae would wake up and how he'd react to Wonpil going out to meet Brian.

He dusts his fingers off on the plate before swallowing the last bite of his food. He stands up and picks up the plates and utensils he'd used, stacks them and places them in the sink. He grabs a cloth to wipe down the table with, walking back to the table to clean up and close the jars. The song he's been humming since he got here was still stuck in his head so he hums it once more as he washes the dishes, letting them dry on the rack by the window. It's a beautiful day outside; people were starting to sport a lot more sweaters and coats, truly enjoying the fall season. The leaves fall as a gust of wind blows past, the warm sunlight streaming through the branches and creatong pretty shadows on the concrete. Wonpil sighs as he finishes up, patting his hands dry on his pants, heart warm from the sight.

He sits back down at the table after a while, picking up the pen and tapping it against his lips while he thinks of how he'll write the note. The notepad remains empty for the next 5 minutes until Wonpil finally starts writing down what he wants to tell Jae—the blanket, clothes, breakfast, probably a shower too, and he should probably also mention that he's going to go out to meet Brian. He huffs out a breath after signing the note, letting the pen fall from his fingers and make a dull clatter on the table.

> _Hey, Jae._
> 
> _I just wanted to thank you for the blanket and the clothes! You didn't have to but I really really appreciate it. I hope you don't mind but I made breakfast and also took a quick shower. I didn't want to wake you up and all that so if you don't like me going through your kitchen please just tell me and I'd stop :) Uh, I'll go out for a while today, I'm going to meet with Brian! I was told that you know him? Haha, anyway, I hope you slept well. I'll be back soon, if you'd welcome me back in. :)_
> 
> _— Kim Wonpil._

He reads the note over and over again, triple checking for errors and some things that might be too forward or embarrassing to include but he stops himself from overthinking. Instead, he gets up and grabs the clothes on the table, making a beeline for the bathroom at the far wall of the apartment.

Stepping out of the bathroom in the clothes Jae gave him after showering, Wonpil half expected that Jae would be up by not but the apartment is still quiet and void of activity. He shrugs, folding his clothes properly and leaving them on the sofa before nodding to himself and leaving the apartment, closing the door gently behind him.

He doesn't catch Jae poking his head out of his bedroom just before he leaves.

—

Wonpil finds the coffee shop Brian was referring to yesterday fairly easy. It's a dainty shop with flowerbeds outside, as well as a few iron wrought tables and chairs. Very pretty, Wonpil thinks as he pushes the door open, the chimes situated above the door announcing his arrival. His nose is hit with wonderful smells of freshly baked pastry and coffee, warming his body almost immediately. There's an indie jazz playing on the small stage by the right wall, the song slightly overpowered by the loud chatter inside the shop. Several people were smoking inside as well, making Wonpil scrunch his nose up as the smell. He scans the shop for a familiar mop of hair, smiling when he sees Brian lifting a cup of coffee to his lip as he reads a newspaper. The table he's occupying is located at the far end of the shop, surrounded by a couple hanging lights and a few hanging lights at the corner.

"Hi, Brian." Wonpil greets as soon as he approaches the table. The said boy lifts his gaze from the paper to Wonpil, a warm smile finding its way onto his lips.

"Hi!" Brian greets him back, folding the newspaper neatly and putting it aside. He straightens up before asking Wonpil what he wants. "Sit down, I'll get you some coffee. Have you eaten?"

"Yeah, I have." Wonpil says as he pulls the chair out, lifting it slightly as to not make a sound. Brian nods, standing up and telling him to hold on for a minute as he orders.

The place is definitely not a coffee shop Wonpil is used to. This place definitely feels old despite everything being new, framed newspaper of various headlines lining the walls as well as a couple shelves that held various bottles with labels Wonpil can't understand. Brian comes back with a mug filled with steaming black coffee, setting it down in front of him and sitting down in his chair right after.

"I'm guessing this isn't something you're used to drinking, judging from your expression." Brian speaks up after a while, watching Wonpil stare into the mug.

"A-ah, yeah." Wonpil nods. Brian hums under his breath and Wonpil can almost see how many questions the other wants to ask. _Probably about the future_.

"Do coffeehouses still operate like this in the future?" The elder finally asks and Wonpil almost chuckles at the curiosity he holds. _Like his Younghyun hyung_.

"No, they don't look like these anymore. Most of them definitely have a strict no smoking indoors rule, and they serve a lot more other types of coffee and drinks." Wonpil holds the mug between his hands, smiling as the heat seeps into his palms.

"Oh?" Brian hums once again. "From what year are you again?"

"2020."

"So that's exactly 45 years from now. So many things must have changed. What interesting things are going on in 2020?"

Wonpil hums. He racks his brain for things that were probably interesting to someone from the past, things that probably don't interest him since they weren't anything new. "Do you guys have computers here?"

"Computers? Yeah. Why do you ask?" Brian asks, tilting his head to the side.

"Well, imagine those with thinner monitors and keyboards. And that you can play games on them and talk to people all over the world with a thing called instant messaging. The internet exists, as well as portable phones that are like these flat monitors with touch screens. It can connect to the internet anywhere you are, as long as there's signal." He smiles at the confusion and astonishment flooding the other's features. He pauses though, eyes widening when he remembers all those books and movies he's seen about time travelling and paradoxes and altering timelines. "Shit."

"Woah, language. What's wrong?"

"U-uh, you can't tell anyone about anything I tell you." Wonpil's smile turns sheepish. "It might cause trouble in the future."

"Oh, yeah, I understand. We wouldn't want that now, would we?" Brian chuckles. "Then, we'll stop future talk for now. Is there anything you're curious about in this time?"

"Uh, yeah." Wonpil thinks for a second before looking back up at Brian. "You're a reporter, right?"

"You could say that. I'm a journalist, to be precise. I work at the most well-known newpaper company. I-I'm not bragging, I just thought you might ask that as well."

"That's really cool!" Wonpil grins, Brian laughing at the younger's weird words and cute doe eyes. "Then, what about Jae?"

"Jaehyung? You haven't asked him yourself?"

"No... He wasn't around when I got back from talking to you last night, and he was asleep when I woke up today." Wonpil rests his elbows on the table, chin on his palms. "I don't think he'll hear me out about the whole future thing anyway. He walked out on me when I told him, telling me that I was probably delirious. I don't even know if he'll let me stay there anymore, he probably thinks I'm a lunatic or a runaway criminal if I couldn't explain my existence or convince him."

"We're talking about Jaehyung, I'm pretty sure that guy wouldn't leave you out in the streets or think you're a lunatic. He's kindhearted, Wonpil." Brian gives him a small smile. "But if he does kick you out, I'm willing to take you in."

Wonpil sits up straight, hands gesticulating wildly in objection. "No, it's fine! You don't have to, I'll just be a burden to you—"

"Don't be silly!" Brian cuts him off. "I'll help you. I'm willing to help you in any way I can, so please accept my offer."

Wonpil frowns but nods. There was no winning against Younghyun, so Wonpil guesses it's the same with Brian. "Okay, hyung. Can I call you hyung?"

"O-okay?" Brian chuckles again. "Okay, Wonpil. I'm serious though, I will help you." He pauses, an idea coming to mind.

"Do you wanna come to my house? We can talk more there and you'd know where I live in case Jaehyung does kick you out."

Wonpil laughs. "Okay."

—

Wonpil comes home later than he thought, the sun having almost completely set and plunging the city into a bright orange. Wonpil speeds up his steps as soon as he turns the corner into Jae's street, arms wrapped around himself. All the anxiety and unanswered questions he had before leaving earlier today rushes back into his head and he doesn't know of he's ready to face Jae.

He knocks on the door tentatively, biting his lower lip as he anticipates what happens next. Will Jae open the door and slam it back in front of his face? _No,_ Wonpil shakes the thought from his head, closing his eyes. _Brian said Jae's kind, he probably won't._

_Unless._

Wonpil doesn't notice when Jae opens the door, looking at him as he squeezes his eyes even more. Jae clears his throat to get Wonpil's attention, smiling when the younger's eyes fly open in surprise.

"J-Jae!" Wonpil's voice stutters out. Jae grabs his arm gently, pulling him into the apartment.

"Where were you?" Jae asks, voice soft as if he's trying to ease Wonpil's worries. "I thought you ran away or something."

"You d-didn't see the note I left?" Wonpil stands in the middle of the living room, trying not to let the anxiety get to him. Jae lets his arm go, facing him with the same soft smile he greeted Wonpil with earlier.

"I did. Thank you for cooking breakfast." Jae raises his eyebrow when Wonpil keeps nibbling his lower lip, the nervousness rolling out of the younger in waves. He places his hands on Wonpil's shoulders gently, trying not to startle him. "Wonpil."

The younger looks up at him, panic-stricken eyes looking at Jae. "Y-yes?" _Shit, he wasn't responding and Jae's probably upset with that_.

"What's wrong? Did something happen outside? Did someone hurt you?" Jae asks, voice growing frantic as possibility after possibility pops up in his head.

"What? No! No, nothing happened. It's just..." Wonpil sighs, tension leaving his shoulders for moment as he mumbles under his breath. "I'm just scared you're mad at me for everything I did in and that you're going to kick me out."

Jae looks at him dumbfounded before he coughs out a laugh, making Wonpil look up at him confused. "Why are you laughing?"

"I invited you into my house. I literally give you the right to stay here as if it's your own." Jae's tone remains soft. Wonpil almost sobs in relief.

"I-I just thought—"

"I'm going to stop you right there." Jae smiles wider when Wonpil immediately closes his mouth, eyes wide. "Tell me where you went while I make dinner, yeah?"

"O-okay..." He follows Jae into the kitchen wordlessly after that, all his worries slowly dissolving into slight embarrassment he doesn't want to acknowledge.

"Do the clothes fit you well?" Jae asks as he looks through his cupboard, pulling out packaged pasta noodles. "Is pesto pasta alright with you?"

"Yeah, they fit well. You didn't have to, really. Thank you, by the way. And yes, I like pesto." Wonpil rambles, smiling bashfully when Jae chuckles.

"Am I scary, Wonpil?"

"No!" Wonpil bursts out, making Jae stop his movements in surprise. "N-no, not at all. You're very nice and definitely not scary. I just...get scared that maybe I did something wrong without knowing."

"Don't worry about that, Pil." Jae says, the nickname rolling off his tongue naturally. "You don't have to be scared. It's okay. Now, tell me about your day."

"Okay..." Wonpil sits down on the dining chair, facing Jae as the taller moves busily around. "I met up with Brian today at the coffeehouse down the block and we talked about...the future and what it was like." He hesitantly adds, remembering that Jae doesn't believe he's from the future. "And then we talked about him, and I asked him about you. I'm sorry if that's rude, I just wasn't sure you'd want to share that with...me. Um, and then we went to his house to chat a bit more and we didn't notice the time going by quickly which is why I got back late."

Jae hums after Wonpil talks. He was about to just continue his cooking as he makes small talk but he pauses, turning around to face the younger. "Hold on. I thought you weren't from here and that you didn't know anyone? How do you know Brian?"

Wonpil freezes. "Oh. Um, I went out yesterday right after you did. I took a walk and—don't worry! I locked the door and took the keys with me. I walked to the park and saw him there. I approached him because he looked exactly like a friend of mine..."

"From the future?" Jae asks, tone laced with genuine curiosity and not disbelief like Wonpil expected.

"Y-yeah. He looked exactly like the hyung I hang out with a lot, so I tried. His English name and everything are the same too..."

"You felt comfortable." Jae finishes the thought for him, face unreadable. Wonpil nods, a smile on his face nonetheless.

"I felt like I was back at home, just talking to my hyung like this is all just some kind of fever dream." Wonpil lets out a huff of laughter before shaking his head. "Sorry, I probably still seem crazy to you."

Jae doesn't say anything, instead continues on preparing the pasta. Wonpil lets his head hang low when Jae's back faces him, a silence that's starting to grow uncomfortable settling over them.

It isn't after the noodles were submerged in the water did Jae look back at Wonpil. He looks uneasy, as if he doesn't know how to articulate his thoughts. Wonpil looks at him, patiently waiting for Jae to break the silence.

"Look," Jae starts, looking everywhere else but at Wonpil. "It sounds crazy and all and I'm aware that I didn't give you the best reaction despite you being extremely distressed over it. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry. You don't have to believe me at all, I know it's hard to believe. I myself am having trouble wrapping my jead around it all, really. Having met you and Brian has grounded me significantly though, so thank you." Wonpil reassures him, wringing his hands together.

"I want to believe you." Jae says, tone resolute. It absolutely shocks Wonpil, causing the younger to stand up unconsciously and shake his hands in front of him.

"You really don't have to! It's fine, Jae."

"No, I want to." Jae smiles, turning back to the pasta and preparing the sauce. "How did Brian take it?"

"Uh, he took it really well actually. He didn't doubt me a bit that it actually threw me off."

"He has a tendency to trust too much." Jae adds but he doesn't say it like an insult, Wonpil notes. It's more fond than anything.

"Are you good friends?"

"Yeah. He's really close to my editor so I got to know him as well. He probably told you that he's gone and interviewed me for his newspaper."

Wonpil nods even if Jae can't see him. "Yeah, he actually did. He didn't tell me you guys were friends though."

Jae nods. "I see. But yeah, he is my friend." He adds as he stirs the sauce. The two remain silent for a few minutes, comfortable this time. Jae prepares two servings of the pasta, placing them into two bowls and placing one in front of Wonpil together with a fork.

"Eat up." Jae tells him. "You can take another shower after. I'll leave you clothes on the counter before you go in, though."

Wonpil frowns but nods, sitting back down. "Thank you, Jae. Really. I don't know what's going to become of me if you aren't here."

Jae smiles. "You're welcome. Now, stop saying thank you and enjoy the food." He says before firmly adding, "Wonpil, I want to trust you. Please give me a little bit more time to process that you're an accidental time traveller."

Wonpil grins before breaking out into a laugh. "Accidental time traveller. Has a ring to it. Take all the time you need, really. You don't even need to trust me." He says, twisting pasta around his fork. "You can really kick me out and I would understand, not that I want you to though." He adds, smiling sheepishly.

"Not gonna happen." Jae replies, before they enjoy their meal quietly, basking in each other's company.

—

Wonpil stays in 1975 for a couple more days, disappointment rushing into him every time he wakes up in Jae's apartment. Although, it does get a little bit better day by day. Wonpil is just starting to feel homesick.

Jae leaves for work at irregular times but he doesn't fail to chat with Wonpil every now and then. He does his best to ease Wonpil into his time, reassuring him that he can absolutely feel at home and that he can ask Jae if he needs anything. They're starting to warm up to each other.

Jae gives Wonpil a book to read during the 4th day of his stay, a Korean novel called _Mr. Han's Chronicle_ by the author Hwang Sok-yong. Wonpil recalls seeing the book in the literature section of their library back at his university, worn and frayed with overuse. Wonpil inspects the book further as Jae says goodbye. The book is still relatively new, the spine remains unbroken and the pages were free of any creases. Wonpil wonders whether Jae has read it or not.

Sometimes, like today, Jae comes home to Wonpil asleep on the couch, tear tracks drying on his cheeks. His heart clenches at the sight, a frown settling on his lips as he places a blanket over the smaller boy. He doesn't know what else to do to help Wonpil, so instead of keeping the boy inside the apartment all the time, he decides that tomorrow, he'll bring him to his office. Wonpil mumbles in his sleep, startling Jae slightly. _Tomorrow,_ he thinks as he yawns, walking into his room. _I'll let him have fun tomorrow_.

—

"Get up, I'm taking you out."

Wonpil blinks at the older. "What?"

"I'm taking you outside." Jae clarifies, grabbing his bag from the coffee table.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Outside." Jae deadpans and Wonpil does his best not to roll his eyes.

"I know, but where outside?"

"To my office." Jae smiles. "And then we'll have lunch together at the diner nearby. Grab the coat on my bed, that's for you. It might be a little big on you though."

Wonpil, albeit confused, nods and smiles before walking into Jae's room. The taller of two waits by the door, looking at his watch before looking up and getting greeted by the sight of Wonpil kind of drowning in his coat. Jae puffs out a laugh.

"You look like a child." Wonpil pouts. "Let's go."

The walk to Jae's office isn't long. The two of them keep talking as they go, Wonpil marveling at everything while Jae tells him what everything is. In no time, they reach Jae's office, the taller pushing the door open.

They're greeted with a man with a shaved head and glasses passing by, eyes snapping up to the two of them when he notices their entrance.

"Hey, Bob." Jae says and Wonpil freezes.

 _It was his Sungjin hyung_.

"Oh, hi Jae. And..?" The man, _Bob_ , looks at Wonpil who is still frozen on the spot, Jae nudging him slightly out of his stupor.

"This is Kim Wonpil, a friend of mine." Jae introduces Wonpil for him instead, noticing the shock on the younger. "I brought him here to show him my work, I hope you don't mind."

"I don't." Bob smiles and it's _so_ similar to his hyung's back home that he wants to sob. But he doesn't, remembering where and _when_ he is. He blinks the tears away, smiling and bowing at the man's direction.

"Wonpil, this is my editor, Park Sungjin."

 _No fucking way._ Wonpil nods. "A-ah, hello."

"He's Korean?" _Sungjin_ asks.

"Yup." Jae grabs Wonpil's arm gently, making the younger look at him. Wonpil is obviously dazed and Jae needs to know why. "We'll be at my desk, talk to you later."

The man nods, smiling at the both of them before Jae pulls Wonpil along with him into a room.

"Wonpil." Jae calls out, noting how much the younger was shaking. "Wonpil?"

"H-huh?" Wonpil looks up at Jae, confused when he sees the taller with a frown.

"You're crying. What happened?"

Wonpil's hands fly up to his face, fingers coming in contact with his tears. He immediately wipes them away, smiling and laughing awkwardly as he does. Jae keeps the frown on his face.

"I-I don't know. I don't know why I'm crying, it's just—" His voice breaks as his heart clenches with longing, fresh tears falling from his eyes. "He's my hyung. I _know_ him, he's my hyung from back home, his name is Park Sungjin, and h-he's—"

Jae watches as Wonpil sobs quietly, heart breaking. He hesitantly reaches over before pulling Wonpil into a hug, rubbing a hand up and down the younger's back in an attempt to comfort him. "Shh...it's okay, Pil. It's okay, I got you."

The two of them stay that way for a while, Wonpil crying for a few more minutes before calming down. He pulls away from Jae's embrace, wiping away his tears using his sleeves as he hiccups a sob. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Are you feeling better?" Jae asks, holding the younger by the shoulders. The latter nods his head, clearing his throat and blinking away a few stray tears. "Stay here, I'll get you some water." He says before moving away but Wonpil grabs the hem of his sweater, causing him to stop.

"No, it's okay."

"It's not okay. You just cried a bucket load. Stay here, I'll be right back. You can sit down on my chair." He says and Wonpil nods, letting go.

Wonpil watches as Jae leaves the room before falling to the floor. "Ugh," he groans. "Why did I break down in front of him..." He stands up before Jae can find him like that and sits down on the chair nearby the desk.

Jae's desk is clean of clutter with a typewriter sitting on the middle of the varnished wood. There's a stack of paper on one corner of the surface and a potted plastic plant on top of them. On the other corner opposite of it sits a small calendar, the date October 25 encircled. Wonpil wonders why.

Jae comes back into the room, a mug of water in his hands. "Hey, you good?"

"Yeah." Wonpil replies, accepting the mug from Jae. "What's with October 25th?"

"Oh, that's when I plan to finish the manuscript. I'm on the last chapter but I've been kinda stumped recently. But I really want to finish it then, so Sungjin and I could coordinate with the publisher properly and all that." Jae replies, arms leaning on the back of chair. Wonpil drinks the water before moving to stand up.

"Sit down and work, I'll be here." Wonpil says, smiling. Jae does sit down before pointing at the chair in front of him. Jae tells him to sit there and Wonpil obliges.

"What's the title?"

"LA Trains." Jae says as he pulls a drawer open, fishing a pair of glasses from inside and wearing it. "It's subject to change."

"LA Trains..." Wonpil mumbles under his breath as Jae starts to type away. _Why does that title sound so familiar?_ Wonpil tries his best to remember where he saw or why it seems important but he couldn't come up with anything.

"Do you want something to read?" Jae asks after a while, hands resting on the keys as he looks up at Wonpil.

The younger smiles. "Can I read what you're writing?"

—

It's late when they leave the office, bumping into Sungjin once more before exiting. Wonpil grabs onto Jae's arm as they say their farewell, trying his hardest not to burst into tears again when Sungjin says that he should come back again. He nods instead, not trusting himself to speak.

"What was Sungjin like in your time?" Jae asks, looking up at the sky for a moment before looking back straight.

"Honestly, they have the same aura. Warm, fatherly, and trustworthy, you know? He's like that friend that would be stern with you but you know that he's like that for your own good." Wonpil describes, sighing.

"Sounds like him alright."

"You don't find it weird?"

"I do, but again I want to trust you, Wonpil."Jae glances at Wonpil. "Plus, with the way you reacted, it's hard to doubt you. You were really shaken up back there."

"Yeah...I guess I just really miss home." Wonpil confesses and Jae hums.

They get home after a few more minutes of walking. They plop down on the sofa after toeing their shoes off and shrugging their coats off. It's silent for a moment, Jae breaking the silence with a question he was it itching to ask.

"What were you doing before you were thrown into the past?"

Wonpil looks at him before humming thoughtfully. "I went to a thrift shop with my friends, two of them being Sungjin hyung and Brian hyung. I bought a camera and was planning to have the film developed the next day but then I woke up here."

"A camera? What did it look like?"

"Mmm, it was silver with black leather. It was a really old camera, I'm surprised it still works."

"Silver with black leather?" Jae repeats and Wonpil nods. "I have a camera just like that. I'll go get it." He stands up and walks into his room, making a beeline for his dresser and picking up the camera. He walks out, showing it to Wonpil.

"Here." He hands it to the younger whose eyes seem to widen at the sight of it. "Why, is it the same?"

"It is!" Wonpil exclaims and Jae smiles slightly. Wonpil examines the gadget before looking up at Jae. "Can I take a picture?"

"Sure."

Wonpil pulls the knob back to cast the film and brings the camera up to his face, looking through the viewfinder. He doesn't fiddle with the zooms, just in case Jae has a preset for it. He looks around the apartment through the camera, thinking of what to capture. An idea pops into his head, his head swiveling to face Jae. He presses on the button as soon as Jae smiles softly when the camera points to him, the shutter clicking.

He pulls the camera away, a grin on his lips when Jae pouts. "Why me?"

"Why _not_ you?" Wonpil giggles before yawning. "I'm sleepy."

"Go to sleep then." Jae stands up, taking the camera when the younger hands it to him. "There's already a change of clothes in the bathroom, so go wash up before you sleep."

"Okay hyung." He says, the honorific unconscious coming out of his mouth. Jae raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything else, walking into his room, stopping when Wonpil calls out to him again. 

"Yes?" 

"C-can we develop the pictures some time?" Wonpil asks timidly. 

Jae smiles. "Sure." Wonpil smiles back and nods. "Good night, Jae."

"Good night, Wonpil."

Wonpil washes up and changes like Jae told him to do before lying back down on the sofa. He looks up at the ceiling, wondering if he could settle better into this time soon. He closes his eyes, the thought slipping from his mind almost immediately.

He groans as the sunlight hits his face, bringing an arm up to his eyes to shield it from the light. He tosses over when the sun started to heat his arm up, turning his other cheek to the pillow. An alarm clock sounds from the distance, startling Wonpil awake.

_Alarm clock?_

He opens his eyes, vision adjusting to the light. His eyes widen at the sight that greets him, heart thumping in his chest. "No way..."

_He's back home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for using bob to refer to sungjin but again, story context
> 
> anyway, the next chapter _might_ be shorter than i think, just wnna put it out there :^] 
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/pjhyngs?s=09)


	3. iii.

Wonpil sits up straight, eyes wide and a hand on his chest. He looks down on himself, inspecting if he really was _here_ and that he wasn't dreaming. The clothes he's wearing are the ones he had on just before being thrown into 1975; his soft bunny print pajamas and a sweater. "I'm home." He mumbles under his breath, the realization and relief washing over him. He breathes out before looking at his bedside table, hand shooting out to grab his phone. The screen lights up as he presses on the power button, displaying the date and a couple notifications he missed.

 _October 21, 2020._ The date reads.

"October 21?" His eyebrows furrow. "It was only the 16th..." Frowning, he shakes the thought off. _Maybe I just got the dates wrong because of the dream_. He unlocks his phone and belatedly realizes that he was late for his first class. He winces but doesn't mind it too much, opening up his messaging app and pressing on their group chat.

**9:32 am**

**dough**

_**@pencil**_ why arent u in class????

hyung???????

**yonk**

i think he overslept

**dough**

uh oh

well thats fine

ill just send him notes

thats odd tho

**yonk**

everyone oversleeps every now and then

dowoon im coming over later im being sexiled

**dough**

rip

this is the 3rd time this week

does mark hyung and whoever he hangs out with really have that much of a sex drive

**yonk**

you do not want to know.

**pencil**

holy shit

**dough**

hey hyung

**yonk**

hey pil

**pencil**

hey

i think i just had the wildest dream

**dough**

yeah??

**pencil**

yeah

i dreamt that i got thrown into 1975 and shit

ill tell u guys abt it later

anyway im skipping

im gonna go to the library for a bit

**dough**

ok hyungggggg

**pencil**

oh hey younghyun hyung

_**@yonk** _

**yonk**

yes child

goodmorning

**pencil**

good morning !

do u wanna come with me later

ill have the pictures developed

**yonk**

uhh

what pictures

**pencil**

the pictures from the film camera i bought yesterday ? u told me to have them developed last night

**yonk**

what

???

hahahahahahaha

i dont remember saying anything abt a film camera

i didnt even know u bought smth

i thought u didnt bc u had nothing when we left the shop yesterday

**pencil**

what  
  


Wonpil's eyes immediately dart back to his bedside table, remembering that he placed the camera down there before sleeping. His confusion grows when the camera wasn't there, a bad feeling settling in his chest.

"That's not right... I'm absolutely sure I bought it. That wasn't a dream either, was it?"

 _No, it couldn't have been._ Wonpil thinks. _Younghyun hyung just made the thrift shop trip a fact. So..._

**pencil**

i see

nevermind hahahahaha i guess i was dreaming that too

ill see you guys for late lunch?

**yonk**

sure !

ill ask sungjin later

sungjin ****hyung

heh

**dough**

im down too

won hyung we have a quiz next week

**pencil**

thanks woon

Wonpil locks his phone, dropping it on his bed as he stares at the wall opposite him. He tries to think, to rack his brain of what the actual occurrences are. "I'm...am I mixing things up?" he questions himself. He shakes his head, opting to get out off bed first before trying to sort out his thoughts.

His morning routine—albeit a bit late right now—starts off with a little bit of stretching in front of the window, basking in the sun's rays as he lets his body wake up a little bit more. He isn't an early bird, not by a long shot, but the warm feeling of the sun still helps him get up and be energized for the day. Like a plant doing photosynthesis or something.

He heads for his kitchen next, humming to a random tune as he sets up his coffee machine, letting the dark liquid trickle through and into the mug underneath. Opening his fridge, his hands dart to some eggs and bacon like it was on autopilot. He stops halfway in the action, realizing what he was doing.

"Huh..." Wonpil says to himself as he realizes he's making the breakfast he made at Jae's. "Weird." He shakes his head again, before closing the fridge without getting anything.

_I can't really cook... what am I doing?_

The coffee stops trickling down as he pads back to it, hand gently reaching out for the coffee and lifting it up to his lips to blow on. The steam floats in front of his eyes as he stops, spacing out in thought.

He takes a sip as he walks back to his bedroom, setting the mug on his bedside table (ignoring the internal Sungjin voice in his head nagging at him for doing that) and grabbing his phone. He unlocks the device, immediately tapping at his search engine. The cursor blinks at him, as if it was curious as to what Wonpil wants to know.

And he wants to search about Jae.

So, maybe it _was_ just a really dragged on lucid dream. _Maybe_ none of it was real and that was just something that his brain conjured up in the middle of the night due to his incessant watching of historical dramas. _Maybe._

But _what if_ it _wasn't_?

Wonpil grumbles to himself, his fingers typing Jae's full name accompanied with the word author and pressing search. He braces himself as the results load, he doesn't know why he does but he soon realizes that it was right that he did.

Because staring at him right now, is a Wikipedia article about a certain Park Jaehyung, an author from 1975.

"Shit." Wonpil barely registers his own voice cursing. He taps on the article and surely enough, an old picture of Jae is shown, accompanied with certain details and information about the man. Wonpil reads through it all.

10 minutes later, Wonpil sits in his bed as he stares at the wall opposite his bed yet again, trying to digest the information.

The man he'd encountered—Wonpil is now 90% sure he wasn't dreaming that all up—is Park Jaehyung, born on the 15th of September 1949. He was a well-known author for his very well-written works, but also because of his mysterious disappearance which was simply chalked up to an unknown death. Wonpil presses his palms into his eyes, sighing. He files away all the information in a random box in his brain. 

"Okay, so maybe I wasn't dreaming." He mutters to himself. "That doesn't explain the disappearance of the camera though..."

Wonpil gets back up, picking up the now lukewarm cup of coffee from his table and taking a huge gulp from it. He skips through his usual morning routine, immediately walking into the bathroom once he finishes his coffee, and he showers. He then dresses himself up in a pair of jeans and an oversized sweater tucked into the waistband of said jeans before he grabs his usual book bag of stuff. He checks everything inside just in case, grabbing his keys, making sure everything is off and closed, before stepping out of his apartment. He locks the door behind him before he exits the building.

He is a man on a mission.

But that determination is immediately overcome as his stomach grumbles, rolling his eyes at his own body system. He decides to make a detour to one of the restaurants nearby and get breakfast before he goes marching into the library inside the campus. The bell atop the door jingles, announcing his arrival and making the person sitting behind the cashier lift their head towards him and greet him.

"Pil?"

Wonpil's eyes dart around the place, trying to figure out who called him.

"Over here."

His eyes find Sungjin's, a warm smile on his face. Wonpil puts on a wide grin waving at him before mouthing the word _'wait'_ at him, looking back at the cashier to order a bowl of bibimbap. He pays up, thanks the cashier after they tell him that they'll call his name when is order is ready and he stalks over to where his friend was sitting.

"Hyung, hey! You don't have classes yet?" he greets, pulling the chair opposite Sungjin and sits down.

"Nope. Teacher's not coming." He grins. "Though, I know _y_ _ou_ have classes as of the moment so why are you here?"

Wonpil grins sheepishly. "Overslept. I plan to just stay in the library today and do some self-studying, maybe do some advanced reading and take notes about music theory." He lies.

"You're skipping class to study alone?"

"Yeah, why not? Sometimes you can learn more on your own when Dowoon isn't beside you distracting you with his little taps on the table and nudging your side whenever he finds an opportunity to crack a joke." Wonpil shoots back with false annoyance and scrunches his nose. "Plus, I don't think Mr. Seo would appreciate me sneaking into his class a whole hour late anyway. "

Sungjin shakes his head at him right when his name is called to the counter. Wonpil stands up to collect his order, carefully walking back to the table with his entire focus on balancing the tray and walking without tripping. _He's notoriously clumsy, after all_.

He sets the tray down on the table before sitting back down, hands immediately holding the spoon as he mixes his food together. "Why are you here alone, hyung?"

"Can't I spend some alone time?"

Wonpil sticks his tongue out jokingly. "You called me over."

"You were there! Did you want me to ignore your existence?"

"Hyung, I'm kidding." Wonpil deadpans, making Sungjin chuckle.

"I was actually supposed to meet Younghyun here around 20 minutes from now, but I decided to come early and just relax for a minute." Sungjin explains and Wonpil nods as he shoves a spoonful into his mouth. A second later, he's about to open his mouth again to speak but Sungjin shushes him immediately.

"Chew and swallow. Don't talk with your mouth full." He scolds. Wonpil lets out a knowing hum. It's quiet for a whole minute as Wonpil swallows his food.

"Hyung, do you remember when we went to the thrift shop?" Wonpil asks tentatively. He doesn't know where this conversation might go, knowing well enough that Younghyun himself said that he didn't buy anything. _Maybe just for a bit of confirmation_? 

"Of course, that was only yesterday. Why do you ask? " Sungjin replies but pauses for a moment. "Oh, now that I think about it, you were acting weird yesterday."

That catches Wonpil's attention. "Oh? W-what do you mean?"

"When we called you to ask if you got something, I saw that you were holding a camera. We thought you were trying to decide if you were going to get it or not, but you were just completely unresponsive." Sungjin watches as Wonpil's eyes furrow in confusion. "And then you placed it back down in the most robotic way possible. You didn't even look at us before leaving."

"I...did?"

"You don't remember?"

Wonpil shakes his head and Sungjin silently takes note of how his friend looked like a million thoughts are passing through his head by the second. "Strange." He adds, an eyebrow raised as Wonpil sighs.

"I...I don't think I did that. At all." Wonpil admits. "I remember the trip to the thrift shop differently. I remember actually buying the camera and taking a photo of you guys as we went home. But..." He trails off as Sungjin waits for his next words patiently. Wonpil shakes his head again, this time it seems that he did it to shake the thoughts away.

"But?" Sungjin presses.

"I... no, nevermind." Wonpil gives him a tight lipped smile. Sungjin frowns, but decides to let it slip. Wonpil will tell him if he wants to. They eat in silence for the rest of the morning until Younghyun walks up to them, greeting them with a bright grin.

"Hey, hyung. Pil." He acknowledges the two of them as he pulls a chair out. "Didn't know you'd be here too." The statement is directed at Wonpil and he shrugs.

"I just came here to have breakfast and Sungjin hyung was here too, so I figured I'll give him company." Wonpil replies as he swallows his last spoonful of food. "But no worries, I'll leave you two now so you can go on and have a lovely morning date."

Younghyun laughs while a blush creeps up to Sungjin's cheeks, a protest on his lips. "We are _not_ —!"

Wonpil stands up as he speaks, grabbing his back and running to the door "Love you, hyungs!" He calls back at them before rushing out the restaurant. He hears Sungjin call his name in exasperation and the tinkle of Younghyun's laughter, making him giggle too.

—

Wonpil walks to the thrift shop mindlessly, Sungjin's words floating in his head. His eyebrows are furrowed as he tries to understand what happened but he figures that maybe he was already out of it even before the trip to the shop. He shakes his head, a thumb coming up to his lips and he bites on his nail.

 _No, that couldn't have been the case_. He reasons with himself. _I remember every single thing that happened in the thrift shop. So why were things different from what I remember_?

Lost in thought, he barely registers that he was about to pass the shop. He snaps out of it, pushing the glass door open. He almost doesn't hear the person manning the cashier greet him as he makes a beeline for the shelf where he saw the camera.

 _Snowglobes, jewellery, music box. Pictures. Postcards_. His eyes light up, hands shooting out to grab at the camera sitting in the same position as before. _Gotcha_.

He examines the gadget in his hands. It was still the same silver body with the leather front, the same one he saw in Jae's hands, albeit weathered. He looks at the back where the counter is and his lips turn down to frown. The counter is at zero, different when he first saw it with a shot remaining. He shrugs it off, walking to the cashier to buy it.

"Uh, I guess this is around 20,000 won." The cashier says, unsure. _The same as before_. Wonpil pulls out a couple bills from his wallet and pays up, picking up the camera as he bows to thank the cashier. He exits the store and walks back to his apartment.

 _He'll have it developed the next day. For now, he'll try and digest the information he got from his trip back and forth between both years_.

—

Wonpil sets the camera down on his bedside table, on the same spot he remembers leaving it on. He drops to his bed, head swarming with thoughts and possibilities, leaving him even more confused as each second passes. He closes his eyes as he tries to recap and attempt to make sense of it all.

 _Something must've altered something_. He starts. _The trip to 1975 wasn't a dream. It actually happened and the universe or something tried to correct itself. My absence from my actual time and presence in the past is an anomaly, so..._

Wonpil groans, his head starting to ache. Everything is too confusing and incomprehensible at the moment. All he knows is that something tried to make up for the time travelling that he was put through, hence ending up with Wonpil acting like a mindless robot when he was being set up to be thrown in the past. Perhaps, there were even two different timelines now, the other one deleted. Did that make sense? _No, absolutely not_. It's unfathomable.

"These things only happen in movies..." He says, squeezing his eyes further. "I don't think I have the brains to understand."

Wonpil lets his thoughts seize for a moment, calming his brain. He's drifting off to sleep before he knew it.

—

He wakes up to the feeling of someone shaking him awake.

He swats the hand away, whining. A laugh echoes in his ears, making him sigh as sleep leaves his body.

"Wonpil." A voice calls out to him. He mumbles something unintelligible, eyes shifting underneath his eyelids as he tries to get himself to full consciousness.

"Wonpil, wake up. It's past 11 am."

Wonpil frowns, cracking one eye open blearily. He tries to make out the face of the person in front of him, his heart stopping when his vision clears up.

"J-Jae..?" He says. _No_.

"The one and only." Jae smiles down at him. _No, no, no_.

"I..." The words die on Wonpil's lips as he opens both of his eyes, looking around at his surroundings. His heartbeat quickens as he takes in the appearance on Jae's apartment, of Jae's clothes, and Jae's face. _Nononononono—_

"Wonpil? What's wrong?" A look of concern is painted on Jae's face as Wonpil struggles to keep his breathing under control.

 _He's back here_.

Wonpil takes a moment to calm down, trying to school his expression back to a small smile. "H-hi." He tries. "Good morning."

"What happened?" Jae asks, kneeling beside him, a hand resting on Wonpil's thigh. "Are you okay? You looked like you were about to get a panic attack."

"I'm okay," He sits up, trying not to notice Jae's stare follow his movements. "Just...a nightmare. I think."

"You think?"

"I—yeah. I don't remember it much, so I'm not really sure." He blatanly lies, but Jae seems to buy it, a frown settling on his lips. The taller opens his lips to speak again but Wonpil cuts him off. "Uh...what's the date today?"

"Today?" Jae hums as he tries to remember. "October 22. Why?"

 _It's the next day,_ he notes before gulping. "Nothing, I just forgot is all." Jae nods, standing back up.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yes, Jae." He smiles again, slightly weary but more genuine this time.

"Okay." Jae smiles back. "I wanted to bring you along to the office again today, but it's okay if you don't want to?"

"No, I'll go." Jae frowns. "I'm sure, _hyung_."

The honorific startles the older, pulling a laugh out of him. "Okay, if you say so. I don't think I'll ever get used to you calling me hyung."

Wonpil giggles. "Well, I might use it more often then."

—

The walk to the office is filled with chatter, the two of them talking about random things they could talk about, like commenting about the people passing by them and Wonpil comparing their clothes and mannerisms to the people in his time. It's obvious Jae is still keeping a keen eye on him, worried and concerned but Wonpil doesn't mind it.

"Turtlenecks are absolutely amazing." Wonpil comments as Jae hums in thought. "They're warm without being too bulky. It's literally a sweater and somewhat a scarf in one. Plus, it's easy to put together an outfit around it." He explains.

"I don't think I've ever heard someone say that about turtlenecks. I also barely see a guy wear them, even in this weather." Jae shoots back, pushing the door to the office open. Wonpil frowns at his comment, barely noticing Sungjin walk up to them.

"Hey Jae, Wonpil." He greets. Wonpil looks up, slightly startled and he can feel Jae gauge his reaction. _Probably due to his breakdown the last time he saw this Sungjin and his little episode earlier today._

" _Hello, uh, sir_..?" Wonpil tries in English, making Sungjin's eyes widen before the older bursts into laughter. Jae chuckles beside him too, making Wonpil awkwardly smile a little.

"No, don't call me sir, please." Sungjin says as his laughter dies down. "Just Sungjin is fine."

"Or Bob." Jae adds, earning him a glare from the other.

"No, please don't." Sungiin sighs and Wonpil smiles a little more comfortably. "Glad to see you again today. Are you feeling better?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I am. Thanks." Wonpil replies. Sungjin nods, eyes going back to Jae.

"Three days until your self imposed deadline, Jaehyung. Though, you really shouldn't pressure yourself if you can't finish it then. We still have 2 weeks and a half before the actual deadline." Sungjin points out and the writer rolls his eyes.

"I'm about to finish. I'm only missing a few more key points, you know. Maybe a few lines that would stick to the reader. Like—like, uh, something that would really _hit_ them." Jae laughs. "Anyway, we'll be at the office." They wave at him as they walk away, Sungjin giving them a nod and smile. 

"You seem more comfortable around him."

"Yeah, the first time was... really just a shock." Wonpil says he plops down on the sofa near the window. "The sofa is new."

"Yeah, it came sometime this morning. Sungjin ordered it a few days ago, it only arrived now." Jae explains as he sits down on his desk, hands immediately grabbing his manuscript and a new piece of paper to feed through the typewriter.

"I see." The conversation stops at that, Wonpil picking up the book sitting on the coffee table in front of him and Jae typing away on the typewriter. The sun streams through the window beside Wonpil, making him feel warm.

His thoughts go back to the confusing situation he's in.

 _So I can travel back and forth, although not willingly. I travelled back every time I interact with that camera..._ He jots down mentally. _Maybe that's how I go back home_?

Jae groans quietly at his desk, making Wonpil look at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing...well, _something._ I can't think of anything to write that would stick to people, you know?" Jae frowns, eyes trained on the rose sitting in a vase at the corner of his desk. _Another new addition_.

"What kind are you looking for to write?"

"Something poetic, maybe. But I guess I'm not inspired enough."

"You'll come up of something." Wonpil reassures him. "Don't think too hard or it might come out forced. Sungjin hyung said not to pressure yourself too much, you have time."

Jae grumbles. Wonpil giggles quietly as he looks out the window. It's silent for a while, save for the muffled chirping of the birds outside the window.

"Hyung, I'm sleepy." Wonpil blurts out of nowhere. Jae raises his gaze to him, a soft smile on his face.

"You woke up just an hour ago, Pil." Jae comments. Wonpil hums, still staring outside the window. The autumn leaves start falling as a gentle wind blows past, pulled into a gentle dance as it makes its way down to the concrete.

"You should nap." Jae's voice breaks him out of his trance.

"What?"

"I said, go back to sleep. I'll wake you up before we leave." Jae says, a fond smile on his face. Wonpil tilts his head to the side, putting the book down.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You seem like you're gonna pass out at any moment anyway. Make yourself comfortable. Don't worry, no one will mind." Jae reassures him. Wonpil nods, taking his coat off before lying down on the couch. He places his coat over him to act as a blanket, Jae watching him with amusement in his eyes.

"Hey, Jae?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you let me help you write?" Wonpil doesn't know where that question came from, but he asks anyway. Jae looks taken aback before a smile creeps onto his face.

"Just keeping me company already helps. But if you do have any ideas, I'm willing to listen."

Wonpil nods. "Good night, Jae." He bids, despite it being midday.

"Good night, Wonpil." And that is the last thing he hears before sleep settles over him like a blanket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did say it would be shorter,after all this was just some sort of filler chapter with a bit of important plot info, albeit a bit confusing but i assure the next one would be longer heh
> 
> also i know its more than a week later, i just have a really bad attention span due to sleep deprivation so i couldnt keep writing lol
> 
> ANYWAY THE TEASERS OH SWEET JESUS THEY LOOK ABSOLUTELY _**SEXCC**_


	4. iv.

Wonpil wakes up due to the nonstop buzzing in his hand, dreams of autumn leaves and roses fading away till he could barely remember any it. He cracks one eye open to the warm stream of the afternoon sun filtering through his window, bathing the room in light orange and casting a shadow of the tree outside against walls of his apartment. He lift his hand to his face, phone in its grip as he tries to make out the words flashing on the screen as the buzzing continues. His brain barely registers the words when the buzzing stops, a notification popping up as the call ends.

**_3 missed calls from Woon, 1 missed call from Sung hyung, 1 missed call from Younghyung_ **

"Shit." He curses as he rolls over to lie on his back, hovering the phone above his face as he squints at the bright light of the gadget to unlock it. He immediately pushes aside the rush of thoughts about him waking up in the present aside, making a mental note to dissect the events later. The group chat alerts him of about 50 messages he hasn't opened, wincing when he reads that it was all about his friends looking for him for late lunch. His eyes dart to the corner of the sceen, the clock reading 3:22 pm.

**3:08 pm**

**yonk**

is wonpil still not replying

**dough**

no

did he say where he was

**songjin**

he said he'd be at the lib

ill go check im nearby anyway

**yonk**

okay hyung

if he isnt there ill try calling him

**dough**

if he isnt there im barging into his apartment

**yonk**

good idea

**songjin**

please dont cause property damage

**dough**

pff dont worry hyung

im not strong enough to do that

**yonk**

you go thru 4 pairs of drumsticks each practice you have

tf do you meab not strong enough

**dough**

its called passion

**yonk**

whatever hahaha

give me sec ill finish something up

**dough**

ok

**3:18 pm**

**songjin**

i cant find him

i tried calling his cell but he still hasnt replied

**yonk**

ok ill call him

**dough**

ill go to his apartment

im about 10 minutes away nyway

**songjin**

okay

update us

**dough**

yup

**yonk**

no answerrrrrrrrrrrr

: - (

im worried abt him

hes acting weird

**songjin**

yknow

i feel like we're overreacting

watch when we find out he prolly was just running an errand or smth

maybe he just couldnt answer his phone

**yonk**

that would be a possibility

but im still worried !!!

what if he got his phone stolen !!!!!

**songjin**

hes prolly ok hyun  
  


Wonpil starts to type out a reply, agreeing with Sungjin as well as apologizing for not picking up his phone when a knock on the door startles him, causing the phone to fall on his face. He yelps, hearing Dowoon's voice through the wood. "Hyung! Are you there?"

Wonpil picks his phone up, sitting up and throwing his legs over to the edge of the bed. "Yeah! Gimme a sec, Woon." He walks across his apartment in large strides, rushing to open to door to Dowoon smiling at him.

"Hey hyung. Did you fall asleep?" Dowoon says as Wonpil moves aside to let him enter.

"Y-yeah...um, I guess I didn't realize I fell asleep." He says, brain still slightly muddled with sleep. Dowoon sits on his couch, fishing his phone out of his pocket to update the group. His assumption is proven correct when his phone buzzes in his hand as he closes the door, walking over to Dowoon.

"They said to meet up here, is that cool?"

"Of course." Wonpil says. "I'll just wash up and then we can wait for them together. Did they say what we're having today?"

Dowoon hums. "I think Younghyun hyung mentioned something about Thai food earlier today. So maybe that?"

"I see." Wonpil replies as he enters his bedroom again and placing phone down on his study desk, Dowoon standing up to follow him into the room. The older of the two walks over to his closet, pulling out a shirt to wear under his sweater later and a fresh pair of underwear.

"Oh, you bought the camera!" Dowoon notes as he sits down on the edge of Wonpil's bed, picking up the device from his bedside table.

"Yeah. I—um—I figured it would be a waste not to get it so I went back to pick it up earlier today." He explains as he pads over to his bathroom. "I'll go wash up now, please take care of that. Don't break it or I'll break your drum kit."

"Hey!" Dowoon calls out as Wonpil steps into the bathroom, chuckling.

—

Wonpil strips off his clothes before turning on the shower, stepping into the stream of water. He closes his eyes and lets his mind wander, that box of thoughts he pushed aside earlier bursting open and bombarding him with questions, confusion, and dread.

First of all, _he's back in 2020._ That fact makes no sense in relation to the theory he conjured up earlier today about interacting with the camera to head back into his time, since he didn't see the camera at all when he was thrown into 1975 earlier. He crosses out the camera theory, but keeps the existence of the camera noted in big bold letters.

He opens his eyes as he turns off the water, his hands grabbing the shampoo bottle to lather onto his head on autopilot as he keeps thinking. _So maybe there was another way of me going back and forth_.

 _Was it sleeping_? That makes sense but at the same time it _doesn't._ He has slept and woken up in Jae's apartment for four days straight without being thrown back to present so that was a snag in his theory, but doesn't cross it out completely.

He grumbles to himself, turning the water on again to wash off the soap suds on his head. His hands work the water into his hair to thoroughly wash it off, turning the water off after and grabbing the soap to lather over his body.

He tries to think of more coincidences and other key items or words that would cause him to go back and forth in time. He frowns as he couldn't come up with anything, his brain hitting a wall due to the lack of information he had as of the moment. He sighs as he turns the water on for the last time, washing his body clean. _Maybe..._

Maybe his friends can help him out.

He shakes his head, remembering that this entire thing is absurd and his friends would probably tease him about it. He can already hear Younghyun telling him to stop watching too many dramas. But maybe they could help in some other way?

 _Maybe they know Jae_. That isn't a far-fetched possibility, Wonpil thinks. Jae is a well-known author in his time, after all. Who says he isn't known in Wonpil's?

A knock once again startles him from his thoughts, hand darting out to turn the water off. "Yeah?"

"Hey, hyung. The other hyungs are here." Dowoon's muffled voice tells him. He grabs his towel to pat himself dry.

"Okay, I'll be out in a bit."

—

He comes out of his bathroom fully clothed, clad in the same sweater and pants he was wearing earlier today. A towel stays on his head, soaking up the rest of the water from his hair that was yet to dry. He hears the soft chatter of his friends in the living room, his feet taking him to them as a smile pulls on his lips at the sight of them.

"Hey guys." He says. Their heads turn to them, smiles immediately widening as he walks closer to them.

"Pil! Why the hell weren't you answering your phone? I was worried sick about you." Younghyun pouts, causing Wonpil to chuckle at him.

"Hyung, don't be dramatic. I just fell asleep, that's all."

"I thought you went to the library?" Sungjin pipes up and Wonpil freezes for a moment, trying to come up with an explanation to his lie.

"I—uh, I wanted to drop something off before I went to the library. But then, I guess I got distracted when I lied down and I fell asleep before I realized what was happening." He smiles sheepishly at Sungjin's raised eyebrow. "Sorry, hyung."

His friend chuckles. "Nah, it's fine. I wouldn't put it past you to fall asleep randomly, anyway."

"So, shall we go?" Dowoon proposes but Wonpil speaks again before they can answer.

"Wait, I have a question for you guys." He says, folding the towel and letting it rest on the back of a nearby chair. They reply to him with hums, their attention fully on him. "Do you know an author called Park Jaehyung?"

"Park Jaehyung?" Dowoon repeats. Wonpil nods, watching as his friend's eyebrows furrow. "I think I've encountered that name before."

"Yeah?" Wonpil says, trying to keep his voice neutral despite the anticipation building up inside him.

"Yeah, I think I have a Korean version of  
one of his books at home. I remember my sister telling me that it was a really good book and that she was sad to realize it was the last book from the guy, apparently since book was left at some kind of cliffhanger." Dowoon explains. "Why do you ask, hyung?"

Wonpil's lips are pulled to a thin line as he files away that tidbit of information into the Park Jaehyung box that is starting to grow in his brain. "Can I borrow it?" He asks. Dowoon nods.

"Sure. I'll give it to you after we eat. I'm really hungry, I haven't eaten since 9 am. Can we go now?" He whines, making his hyungs laugh. Wonpil nods, his drying curls bouncing along.

—

Wonpil and Dowoon giggle at something Younghyun said as they wave goodbye at the other two, Sungjin rolling his eyes as he pulls Younghyun back by his collar, making him yelp in protest. Their late lunch went well, Wonpil gasping in shock when they realize how late it already is.

"Let's go? I'll give you the book first. Home isn't that far anyway." Dowoon asks, nudging Wonpil when his gaze at the darkening sky doesn't go back down. The older of two yelps, eyes wide before laughing sheepishly.

"Yeah. Okay, thank you, Woon." Wonpil finally replies and they fall into step with one another towards Dowoon's house.

"So why are you suddenly interested in Park Jaehyung?"

Wonpil freezes, his brain faltering as he processes Dowoon's question. _Interested?!_ "I—uh, w-what?" He stutters, mind still having trouble catching up. _I'm not interested in Jae! What the hell?_

Dowoon raises an eyebrow at his stammering. "I said why are you suddenly interested in Park Jaehyung? The author of the book you're borrowing?" He adds.

"Oh." Wonpil laughs nervously. He mentally facepalms for interpreting Dowoon's wording like that. _Stupid Wonpil, of course it's not like_ that. _He doesn't know you actually know Park Jaehyung and that you're living with him at another time._ He represses the blush that accompanied that thought. "I just—I don't know, I saw someone talk about him on—um—Twitter and I searched him up and just got... _interested_ , you know." He tries, shrugging his shoulders. Dowoon's lips quirk up in a confused yet amused smirk, figuring that he should let this one slide.

They step into Dowoon's house, Wonpil toeing off his shoes before standing in the middle of the living room as Dowoon goes into his room. Wonpil looks around, a small smile on his face when he realizes that nothing much has changed since the last time he came around, which was a few months ago. Dowoon comes out of his room with a hardbound book in his hands, the pages slightly frayed and yellowed with age.

"Here." Dowoon extends the considerably thick book towards him. "Park Jaehyung's last book, LA Trains."

Wonpil's heart drops to his stomach as his eyes read the title of the book along with Dowoon's voice. _There is no mistaking it_. There in his hands is Jae's book, the title's gold calligraphy faded. A lump starts to grow in his throat as he remembers asking Jae what the title of the book he was currently working on was. His lungs starts to slowly feel a bit too stuffy, like it was growing too big for his ribcage. _No_. He tries to shake the thought off. _No, there must be a mistake_. His breathing quickens as a whirlwind of thoughts start in his head. _This can't be the same book. There must be another. He can't be witnessing Jae write the last book he'll ever write_.

"Hyung? What's wrong?" Dowoon asks, concern etched onto his face as he watches Wonpil's eyes gloss over with tears, his lips wobbling. "Hyung."

Wonpil inhales sharply through his gritted teeth and glances at his friend before looking up at the ceiling to blink away the tears. "Uh—no-nothing. It's nothing." He says, ending the statement with a short slightly watery laugh. "I—I'm gonna go. Thanks for lending me the book, Woon."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Dowoon asks and Wonpil nods, no longer trusting his voice lest he break down in front of his younger friend. Dowoon doesn't seem to believe him, but he nods anyway. "Tell me when you get home, okay?"

"Yeah, uh—I'm gonna drop by the library for a bit." Wonpil tells him as he walks toward the door, shoving his feet into his shoes, Jae's book clutched against his chest.

"It's late..." Dowoon frowns when Wonpil smiles at him.

"It's fine, Woon, I won't stay too long." Wonpil reassures before stepping out of the house. "Good night, Dowoon."

Dowoon realizes he can't stop him. "Good night, Wonpil hyung."

—

The air around Wonpil seems to become even chillier as he walks toward the university library, hugging the book against his chest tightly like it may disappear he didn't hold onto it tight enough. He sniffs, his thoughts melding together into something unintelligible, emotions and logic overwhelming him. But if there is one thing he got from that revelation, it's that he finally knows the reason why he's being thrown back and forth between years. He chuckles bitterly to himself, silently cursing whatever is out there for doing this.

He needs to save Jae.

He pushes the door to the library open, feeling immediately warmer. The person behind the counter gives him a smile, recognizing him over the countless amount of times he's spent on here (and also because he's also become Wonpil's friend when he saw Wonpil break down at one point in their college life).

"Hey Wonpil."

"Hey Jinyoung." Wonpil greets him back before sniffing again. He hopes his eyes aren't red and puffy anymore. "I didn't know you'd be here today. Or, well, tonight."

"Volunteered." Jinyoung gives him a smile. "Another late night reading for you?"

"Yeah." Wonpil gives him a small smile. "What time is the closing today?"

"2 hours from now I think?"

"Okay. I'll—uh–see you around Jinyoung." He says, the other boy nodding as he waves goodbye. He weaves through the bookshelves towards the wooden tables at the back of the library. Wonpil sets his bag down on the chair next to where he's going to sit on and sets Jae's book down on the table before sitting down.

For a minute, Wonpil does nothing but stare at the book, lips turned down to a frown as his finger traces the embedded letters against the leather. His heart clenches when his thoughts drift to the author and he sighs as if it could help loosen up the tightening feeling in his chest. He finally flips the book open to the very first page displaying the title and Jae's name. On the next page is a short message from Jae to his readers.

> _To you, whose eyes dash across the words I write with delight. May this book give you comfort and a feeling of hope._

Wonpil starts to read the first chapter of the book but starts to be slightly hesitant for a very laughable reason. "I think I may be spoiling myself before Jae even finishes this book." He mumbles to himself bitterly. He shakes his head though, reading the first few lines as he thinks of the author.

Jae in his brown trenchcoat, walking on the sidewalk on a chilly October afternoon. Jae in his office, sitting on his desk and typing away like a mad lad on his typewriter as he pushes up the glasses that slowly slides down his nose. Jae, standing in front of him as he runs a hand through his blond hair with a small confused smile before waving at his face.

_Wait..._

Wonpil realizes that he is no longer reading the book but instead is staring in front of him where a boy looking like the exact carbon copy of Park Jaehyung is standing.

"Excuse me?" The boy talks, tone tentative as Wonpil snaps out of his stupor, eyes widening and mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"I—uh—y-yes? Hello, um..?" Wonpil decides to stop talking to prevent further embarrassing himself with his stuttering. The other boys stifles a laugh, instead clearing his throat and points at the chair in front of Wonpil.

"Can I sit here?"

Wonpil nods dumbly, still trying to make sense of how this person looks exactly like Jae from 1975. _Are there literally copies of us in 1975_? He gasps, slightly making the other boy give him a puzzled look. _Am I going to see myself in 1975?! Isn't that some paradox shit? That's where the bad things start in movies..._

"...Is there something wrong?"

"Uh, no. No, I just had—epiphany, yeah. I just realized something. Sorry, you can go ahead." Wonpil says, giving the boy a sheepish smile before directing his attention back to the book.

"Thanks." Wonpil nods, watching the boy's movements through his eyelashes. The boy gently places down his things on the table before sitting down in front of him. Wonpil gulps when he's hit with some sort of deja vu from 1975. He shakes his head and continues to read, elbows on the table with his head resting on his hands.

A few pages and minutes later, Wonpil doesn't notice that he's fallen asleep with his cheek resting against the pages of the book. He only jolts awake when he feels a warmth on his back, a choked yelp coming from in front of him. Wonpil looks up at the boy's frozen state; standing and leaning over the table to place his jacket on Wonpil, a grimace on his face when Wonpil peers up at him.

"Uh...hi?" The boy says bashfully, looking down at Wonpil's sleepy eyes. He leaves the jacket on Wonpil before straightening up and sitting back down, clearing his throat.

Wonpil yawns before he could stop himself, a hand coming up to cover his mouth. He notices the blond hide a smile behind his own hand before pursing his lips and waiting until Wonpil looks straight at him before speaking.

"You can continue sleeping if you like. I'll wake you up before we leave. Or would you like to wake up earlier..?"

Wonpil blinks at him, heart thumping when he remembers Jae say similar things before he woke up earlier today. "Uh...yes." He doesn't hear hinself say but he continues. "T-that would be nice. Are you sure it's okay?"

"Of course." The blond nods. "Go nap. I'll be right here when you wake up."

Wonpil hides the blush that warms his cheeks by burying his face into his arms. "Thanks." He says, muffled. He falls asleep almost immediately, missing the response the other guy tells him.

—

"Pil."

His eyes shoot open, expecting to wake up with pages lined with words in front of his face but instead he sees Jae's surprised face, eyes wide behind his glasses.

"H-hyung?" He says drowsily.

"Yeah, it's hyung." Jae smiles. "It's already late. You slept quite a lot, are you sure you're sleeping well? You can sleep on the bed tonight if you can't sleep, just tell me."

Wonpil sits up, his coat falling to his lap as he does. Jae stands up from his crouched position, shoving his hands into the pockets of his own coat. "No, I'm fine. I don't know why I'm so sleepy myself." He frowns.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure." Wonpil giggles when he sees Jae pout. "What, were you hoping I'd say yes to sleeping on the bed for cuddles?" He doesn't know where the teasing and playfulness comes from, but he decides that seeing Jae get all flustered is cute and worth it.

"W-what?! Wha-what are you talking about? Wha—"

"Jae," Jae stops fumbling with his words and Wonpil's grin grows. "I'm kidding."

"Wh—um. Huh." Jae's lips shift to a thin line as he turns around and walks to his desk to pick up his bag. Wonpil watches his movement as he holds back a giggle by biting on his lower lip. Just as Jae moves to sling his bag over his shoulder, Wonpil looks down on his hands and speaks.

"I wouldn't object to cuddles though."

 _"Wonpil."_ Jae whines, turning around to face Wonpil as the younger bursts out laughing, his face colored a pretty pink. "I think I like you better asleep."

"So you can watch me sleep and cuddle me?" Wonpil further teases before he could stop himself.

"Wonpil!"

"Kidding, hyung!" Wonpil laughs loudly, causing Jae to pout again. Wonpil stands up and wears his coat, walking over to Jae with a skip in his step. "Shall we go?"

Jae rolls his eyes before smiling, still blushing. "Yeah, whatever."

—

They bid Sungjin goodbye, Wonpil and the editor sharing a laugh when the younger attempts to speak in English to him again.

"I can see how you and Sungjin click. Is that how you act around _your_ Sungjin?" Jae asks as he closes the door behind him.

"Yup. Not a lot of people actually know Sungjin hyung is funny. They just think he's scary and intimidating when in fact he's a fluffy teddy bear in actuality." Wonpil smiles, falling in step with Jae as they walk down the sidewalk towards home.

"That is so accurate." Jae comments and a peaceful silence falls over them. There weren't a lot of people outside currently, just a few walking around—probably on their way home as well. Wonpil looks up, eyes gazing at the display the night sky has on for every person on Earth to see, stars shining against the black. A cold breeze passes by them and the stars seems to twinkle brighter as he blinks and takes in a lungful of the cold air. The view tugs at one of his heartstrings all of a sudden, causing him to look back down and smile at his feet, looking back up when Jae nudges him.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He says and Wonpil shakes his head, exhaling as he looks around the near empty streets.

"My thoughts are priceless, dearest Jae." He giggles but shrugs right after. "I don't know, I just like this right now."

"Like...what?" Jae asks, looking directly at Wonpil.

Wonpil's eyes sparkle as he speaks. "This. Just this moment. It's almost as if I want to get stuck in it, just because everything is shining you know. The stars, the streetlights..."

"And you." Jae mutters, causing Wonpil to snap his head towards him. "What?"

"What did you say?" Wonpil asks.

Jae smiles and shrugs. "So do you."

Wonpil stops walking for a moment as he gapes at Jae, causing the taller boy to stop as well and crane his neck over his shoulder to peer at the younger.

"What, I thought today was a day of teasing?" Jae smiles wryly.

"You were supposed to be the flustered, not the _flusterer._ " Wonpil pouts, walking back to Jae's side and they continue walking.

"I'm pretty sure flusterer is not a word."

"I don't care." Wonpil humphs. "Anyway, as I was saying—"

"You do shine though. Beautifully. Your eyes sparkle." Jae adds confidently before he pauses and looks at Wonpil with wide eyes. "Oh my."

"What?" Wonpil squeaks despite the growing blush in his cheeks.

"That's...I'm—nothing. You'll see." Jae shakes his head and Wonpil makes an indignant noise.

"That's not fair! What do you mean by 'I'll see'? I'll see what?"

"I'll show you when the book is published."

Wonpil gasps, before his lips turn up into a big grin and he bounces slightly. "You got a line, didn't you?"

"Yeah, yeah." Jae smiles. "Anyway, continue. Maybe I'll get more lines to put in."

"Right." Wonpil clears his throat and starts speaking exaggeratedly and dramatically. "It's being stuck is such a shining moment, beautiful and tantalizing that you almost wish that you can stay in it, unmoving, without blinking—like a picture. Keeping the shining moment nearby, keeping it in your eyeline and—"

Jae nudges him as he bursts out laughing, hands flying to his face as he hides his face. "Stop! Stop, I can't take you seriously with that _voice_!" He says in between giggles. "Oh Lord."

Wonpil laughs with him, eyes turning into crescents as he looks at Jae's form shaking with laughter. It's fun and comfortable and _warm_. He truly does want to stay in this very moment, filled with laughter and lighthearted teasing and nothing else.

Wonpil momentarily forgets about his supposed mission in this time.

—

They get home, cheeks and stomachs aching from the laughter. Wonpil walks in before Jae, toeing off his shoes and plopping onto the sofa, resting his head on the backrest. He lets out a sigh as the jingle of keys signal him of Jae leaving the said keys on the plate near the door.

"I don't think I've laughed that much in a while." He says as he closes his eyes, listening to Jae's bare footsteps getting closer and closer as well as the rustle of fabric.

"Me neither." Jae replies and Wonpil can hear the smile on his face. "Take off your coat."

"Oh right." Wonpil opens his eyes and immediately stands up, shrugging his coat off and walking into Jae's room to hang his coat on the hanger and Jae walks past him. He looks over to where the other boy went, tilting his head when he sees Jae sitting down on the bed looking at him. "What?"

"Nothing." Jae hums. "Well, _something._ I want to ask you something, but you don't have to answer me if you don't want to. Come sit." The blond pats on the bed beside him, smiling when Wonpil walks towards him. 

"What is it?" Wonpil replies as he sits down next to Jae.

"I just...I realize I don't actually know much about you." Jae lets out a soft chuckle. "And, y'know. Probably vice versa. And I also want to know a bit about your time, if that's okay."

Wonpil laughs, before nodding. "That's a very good point." He sighs. "Well to start off, as you know, I'm Kim Wonpil, 25 years old. I was born on April 28, 1994 in Seoul, South Korea. I think I already told you that I'm in my last year of college in Music Prod." Jae nods. "Um, I guess I'll add the fact that I play the piano? I sing sometimes, I cry easily, I'm also lowkey addicted to historical dramas—" Wonpil pauses as he sees Jae's eyebrows furrow the slightest. "What?"

"Uh...sorry, a random thought just came into my head." Jae replies sheepishly.

"What is it?"

"You're from the future so I can't help but ask. You don't have to answer, of course. But, um, do...people know who I am in your time? Do they know my works? Am I still _alive?_ " Jae asks, his sentence ending in a curious lilt as if he isn't scared of whatever the answer may be. Wonpil's heart clenches, finally remembering the situation he's in. He scrambles to try and give Jae answers that wouldn't imply _anything_ related to his recent trip back home.

"Uh...yeah. They know you." Wonpil tries to give him a soft smile that wouldn't look like a grimace. "In fact, one of my friends have a book of yours. I—um—remember him lending it to me quite a while ago." The small lie slips through his teeth smoothly.

Jae doesn't even doubt him for a second, clearly excited. "Which one?" Jae asks immediately, eyes sparkling with curiousity.

"That's a secret." Wonpil giggles as Jae rolls his eyes.

"Pff, fine." Jae comments, humming. "Oh, before we continue, are you hungry?"

Wonpil shakes his head. "No, I just ate—" He slaps a hand over his mouth as soon as he says it, eyes widening as Jae looks at him with a puzzled expression.

"You just ate..? But I didn't see you eat and you were with me the entire time..."

 _Shit._ Wonpil gulps, panicking. _So much for not letting Jae know about him travelling back to his own time._ "Jae..." Wonpil tries.

"What?" The blond asks, an eyebrow quirking up as he waits for Wonpil's explanation.

"I...I got back home. While I was asleep." He mentally facepalms himself. _Why didn't I just say I was hungry?!_

There's a silence that stretches into a couple minutes before Jae speaks again. "...what?"

"I don't know. I was probably dreaming." He tries to cover up but Jae stops him before he could complete his lie.

"No, don't do that." Jae tells him firmly. He shifts his position to fully face Wonpil. "You went back into your time? Why...why didn't you stay?"

Wonpil winces. "I...it's not voluntary." _I don't even know if I want to stay in one time anymore_. His mind adds but he immediately expels the thought. "It happens randomly, it just happens that I'm asleep when it does. Plus, if I do stay, what happens to my body here? Do I just disappear or do I stay in some sort of coma? My body in 2020 is asleep in a library right now being accompanied by a guy that is the exact replica of you—" He stops abruptly, eyes widening before he sighs. " _Fuck_. I talk too much."

"There's a guy that _looks like me_?" Jae repeats, intrigued.

"Yeah." Wonpil frowns. "He's literally you, but in my time. Similar to how we both have Sungjins and Younghyuns."

"So this guy is with you right now?"

"Yup."

"Do you know him? Is he why you were teasing me earlier? "

"No! No, it's not that. I don't—" Wonpil sighs. "I don't know him."

Jae hums. "Do you...trust him?" he asks, tone tentative.

"...kinda. Only because he looks like you." Wonpil replies, earning him a grin from the blond.

"Aha. So you trust me?"

" _Dude_." Wonpil suddenly says in English, causing Jae's eyes to widen before he laughs. "I wouldn't be here laughing and staying with you if I didn't, dumdum."

"Fair point." Jae says, still giggling. Wonpil yawns but continues talking, leaning against the headboard of Jae's bed.

"Honestly, he reminded me so much of our first encounter in the library." He says and Jae hears the edges of sleep creep into his voice. He subtly pulls the blanket folded on the pillow behind him and opens it up, putting it over him and Wonpil which the latter accepts without saying anything. "His movements, the way he talked. So much like you."

"Maybe that's me on my second or third life. Or my fifth, who knows." Jae adds quietly, smiling to himself when Wonpil tries to fight the sleep creeping onto him.

"Maybe..." He trails off and Jae realizes that Wonpil has already fallen asleep, the younger's chest slowly rising and falling. He sighs before fixing Wonpil's position on the bed, letting his head rest on the pillow instead of the headboard. He looks at Wonpil's peaceful face, a random urge to poke the boy's cheek in his mind.

He does poke Wonpil, if only to check if the he was truly in deep sleep. "Wonpil?" He calls out but he doesn't get a reply. Jae sighs before smiling to himself, brushing away the hairs that strayed onto the younger's forehead.

"I hope this time, you can stay at home. In your time, without having to think about whether or not you're going to wake up here." He says, before shifting away from Wonpil's sleeping form.

"I hope that this is all just a dream to you, before anything bad happens."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh wow a chapter at 3 am kst aka 2 am for me a day before comeback day haha why do i make myself suffer this way
> 
> did yall get the la trains lyrics section in there hahaha idk im quite proud at myself for that i didnt expect for it work out that well
> 
> ok so this is where this might start get to become a real doozy hahaha but i hope you can bear with me until it clears up!! the next chapter is prolly gnna be shorter than this again but :)) 
> 
> anyway. 
> 
> jaepil cute. that is all.


	5. v.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, sorry for the delay hehe
> 
> theres gnna be a lengthy endnote trying to explain why but for now, here. enjoy :DD

Wonpil stirs awake before someone shakes him to wake him up. He blinks at the darkness within his arms, sighing quietly when he realizes where _and_ when he is. He closes his eyes, mentally preparing himself because he's probably going to travel back later tonight.

"Hey, um, Wonpil? Jinyoung came around and told me that's it's already closing time. Also, if you _are_ awake and wondering how I know your name, I swear I'm not a stalker or a creepy person—Jinyoung said it earlier." A voice tells him, tone obviously hesitant.

Wonpil remembers that he's with a Park Jaehyung look alike and that he can imagine the very expression the guy was pulling, assuning that this guy was similar to Jae. It pulls a laugh out of him. He raises his head, a smile on his face as he rubs the sleep from his eyes. Once his vision clears and focuses on the boy in front of him, his smile grows ever the slightest once he notices the light blush on the boy's cheeks as well the way his mouth was ajar.

"Hello?" He tries. "Would you like to take a picture?"

The boy becomes redder, immediately closing his mouth and averting his eyes. "U-uh, um, uh, hello." He lowers his head, obviously trying to hide the embarrassment on his cheeks. He goes ahead and organizes his things, slowly filing papers into their respective folders and into his bag. Wonpil hums.

"What's your name?" He asks, catching the other boy off guard.

"Huh?"

"Your name. Since you already know mine, wouldn't it be fair that you tell me yours?" Wonpil drawls sleepily.

"A-ah." The boy rubs the back of his neck before smiling at Wonpil. "You can call me Jae."

Wonpil ignores the way his blood runs cold, how his heart drops with the confirmation he isn't sure he wanted. Maybe it would've been better if just let the boy stay nameless. He manages to keep the smile on his lips as he hums again. "Cool." He says. "Hello, Jae. Thank you for watching over me."

"Sure." _Jae_ finally got his blush in control, immediately reverting back to the chill dude that he is. Wonpil frowns internally, not sure about how he would differentiate these two in his head. They go by the same name—should Wonpil come up with a nickname for the 1975 Jae?

"Wonpil?" Jae snaps him out of his thoughts. "Hey, we gotta go. They're starting to close the lights. Don't wanna get locked up now, do we?"

Wonpil laughs breathily. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

" _What_?" The boy flushes again and Wonpil can't help but giggle. _They even react the same to his flirting_.

"Kidding. Let's go." Wonpil says, picking the book up and hugging it to his chest. They both stand up, pushing the chairs back into the table before walking to the doors.

"It's pretty late." Jae points out and Wonpil hums. "Where do you live? I can walk you there." He pauses when Wonpil raises his eyebrow at him. "U-uh. I swear I'm not creepy. I just want to make sure you get home safely, you know? I swear I'm not your stalker—I'm digging my own grave by rambling, aren't I."

Wonpil laughs as the boy rubs his own face, groaning in embarrassment. "You are kinda sus, sir." Wonpil shakes his head almost fondly. "Thank you for the offer, but maybe next time cutie. Take me out for coffee first before anything, maybe?" He adds jokingly, giggling again but he stops when Jae looks and points at him.

"Good idea. The next time I see you around, I'm asking you out." Jae _winks_. Wonpil's eyes widen, surprised. "And I'll get your number then too. See you around, Pil. Get home safe." He adds before waving and walking away, not even waiting for Wonpil to reply or wave back.

Wonpil stands at the entrance of the library, gaping at the taller boy until he turns a corner and leaves his sight. He lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding before scoffing at how his heart was acting up.

 _What in the world_. _He became the_ flusterer _here too._ He shakes his head and walks home.

—

Wonpil unlocks the door to his apartment, getting rid of his shoes by the door before stepping onto the floor of his apartment. He drops his bag by the sofa, rubbing his eyes as he makes a beeline to his bed. He flops face down on the mattress, mind barely working as he tries to organize his thoughts.

There's now 2 Jaes in his life, one back in 1975 and one in current time. He rolls over to lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. _I'll probably meet myself and Dowoon on 1975 soon_. He thinks, frowning. His mind reels back to the small flirtatious exchange he and present Jae had at the library.

_Would his Jae—_

_Nope, stopping that thought immediately_. He laughs bitterly, confused and tired. Maybe he should continue thinking tomorrow. Whenever he wakes up.

He sits up, an idea coming into his head. He decides to test the theory about sleeping to travel, so he immediately stands up and changes out of his outdoor clothes and into his pajamas. He tucks himself under the covers, forcing himself to sleep. He doesn't know if this will work, but he knows whatever happens, he'll be so tired and lethargic when he wakes up.

 _This better work and be worth it_.

—

It doesn't work.

Wonpil groans as he harshly brings his hand down on his alarm clock and the room is abruptly plunged into silence. He's glaring at the ceiling of his bedroom, the morning sun making the room brighter than Wonpil can tolerate. He huffs, pawing for his phone on the bedside table before remembering that he didn't take it out of his bag.

He grumbles as he sits up, obviously peeved at the fact that his theory had failed. He has class in an hour and a half and he knows he should attend before it does damage to his grades. Birds chirp outside his window and that adds to the simmering sour mood the entire thing has put Wonpil in. He almost feels like...

Time and space is against him. Like, _literally_.

No matter what he does, he can't figure out why and how the time travelling happens. He knows he might be there to keep Jae safe, which is ridiculous since it's in the past. But if it isn't the reason why, then what is? Why does he travel back? _How_ is he travelling back?

The same questions plague his mind almost every single day, buzzing annoyingly at the back of his head. Wonpil shoves it into the same box of Park Jaehyung-related things, huffing angrily at himself (and the universe), standing up and walking into his bathroom to get his morning started and head to class.

—

**10:25 am**

**yonk**

fellas

it has been a while

**songjin**

we met up yesterday.

**yonk**

ur point is???????

im clingy nd i miss everyone so i wnna meet up and have lunch ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)

so

**songjin**

so?

**yonk**

so we eat together

lets have japanese today i want ramen

its a cold day, perfect for hot broth !

what day is it

oh hey its a wednesday

everyone should be free for lunch right????

 _ **@pencil**_ _**@dough**_ ?????

**dough**

im down

sorry still in class talk later bye

**yonk**

cool

 _ **@pencil**_ ???

im not letting u say no i miss ur energy too much

ill just pick u up, we have classes in the same building before lunch

pil??

hey

ure leaving us on read

**pencil**

sorry

just

bad mood

**yonk**

=͟͟͞͞(꒪⌓꒪*)

oh no !

ill treat u ice cream for lunch if u come

: - (

will u ?

its ok if u dont ok?

i was kidding about not letting u say no

**pencil**

uh yeah no

okay.

ill go.

see ya profs here

**yonk**

okay

**songjin**

...

hm?

**yonk**

hm.  
  


Wonpil sighs as he pockets his phone. He lied about the professor being here, he feels bad about doing it—but he knows that his hyungs would do everything to make him feel better and Wonpil, in his current mood, doesn't know why that rubs him off the wrong way. Maybe it's the way it sometimes verges to _pity_ in his eyes. It doesn't help that his hyungs know him _too_ well.

God, he's such a drama queen today.

He mindlessly flips through his readings, tuning out the environment until it's just white noise as he loses himself in his thoughts again.

—

"Hey, Pil."

Younghyun was there in front of his desk. Wonpil looks up at him before looking around the room, belatedly realizing that class is over and most of the people have dispersed for lunch time. He drops his head, sighing.

"Hey hyung." He greets back, looking up at Younghyun. "Sorry. I'm just—really out of it."

"It's okay, Pil." The older boy gives him a soft smile. He grabs Wonpil's things and neatly piles them up for the younger to shove into his bag, which Wonpil does and Younghyun waits for him to zip it up and sling it over his shoulder

"Come on. Sung hyung and Woonie are downstairs waiting already."

The walk to the entrance is quiet, Wonpil silently mulling over his thoughts in his head while Younghyun subtly observes him, frowning at the odd down mood his friend has. It's not that he's implying Wonpil never has down moods—of course he does, he's still human after all. It's just the fact that the younger doesn't seem to have a grasp at what's happening to him and that makes it worse. Younghyun sighs.

He pauses in his tracks, watching as Wonpil continues to walk forward without him. "Hey, are you sure you wanna come?" He asks quietly, his voice almost not reaching Wonpil who was a few steps away from him already. The younger stops and looks back at him, confusion in his eyes as he furrows his eyebrows.

"I'll be fine, hyung." Wonpil gives him a wry smile. Younghyun doesn't buy into it. "Just, troubled is all."

"We'll always be here to talk, you know that, right?"

Wonpil nods, a genuine smile on his lips this time. "I know, hyung." Younghyun nods back and they continue to walk to the entrance of the building where their friends are waiting.

Dowoon immediately latches onto Wonpil the moment the duo steps out of the building, humming as he embraces his hyung. Wonpil laughs weakly, patting Dowoon's arm which wrapped itself around his neck. "Hey, Woon."

The younger hums again in acknowledgement. Wonpil looks over to Sungiin and smiles. "Hey hyung."

"Hey. How are you?" Sungjin pats Dowoon's back, silently telling him to let go of their friend. The younger follows, a pout on his lips as his hands hold the straps of his backpack. _Like a little kid_.

"Getting by." Wonpil confesses.

"Okay. Shall we talk over ramen?"

Wonpil forces a smile and nods. "Yeah. Let's do that." He says, silently clearing his thoughts as he argues with himself internally.

 _I'm gonna need help_. He tells himself. _I'm going to need it, and they're the people who would understand no matter how confusing all this is_.

—

The group makes small talk within themselves, talking about little nothings and hilarious instances that happened in class. The atmosphere is light, slowly seeping into Wonpil's bad mood and letting the tension on his shoulders dissipate. By the time they reach the restaurant, Wonpil is slightly joking around with them. Younghyun secretly smiles of relief.

They sit down and order their food, still talking and making a ruckus. Wonpil laughs. "You guys are absolute idiots."

"We're your idiots and you're stuck with us." Dowoon quips, making Wonpil roll his eyes and smile.

Their food arrives a few minutes later and all the banter dies down. Their booth is silent save for the slurps and noises of contentment (mostly from Younghyun). It stays like that until most of them have finished their food, Sungjin pausing and looking at Wonpil.

"Wonpil."

The said boy looks up from his bowl, tilting his head as he chews on a noodle. "Hm?"

"Do you want to talk about something?" Sungjin asks, straightforward as always. Wonpil's heart drops to his stomach, making him freeze and stare at his hyung. _Damn, he thought they wouldn't ask anymore_.

"Uh," He starts, placing his spoon down. He tries to find the words to begin telling them but his mind is a mess and he can't seem to form a sentence coherent enough as to not make him sound like a lunatic. He sighs. His friends wait patiently, putting down their utensils and giving all their attention to him.

"First of all," Wonpil gulps, wringing his hands together. "I'm probably going to sound insane."

He waits for his friends to make some kind of remake, laugh, joke, or anything really. But he watches their faces and finds nothing but patience and understanding.

"Remember the time I told the chat I dreamt of being thrown back to 1975?" They all nod. "Well, apparently that wasn't a dream at all. I was being thrown back and forth in time. I didn't know how it began, or why it's happening. I'm still trying to figure everything out and it's messing with my head because it seems too impossible to comprehend.

"I thought it was a dream at first since it was most logical but then I brought the camera up to you guys and told me that I never bought it despite me clearly remembering that it did. Sungjin hyung told me I was acting weird that day as well, and I just kind of connected the dots and...yeah." He brings his hands up to his face and rubs them against his face he sighs in frustration. "Fuck. Sorry, the way I'm telling it is a mess but honestly I just really don't know how to."

"Try telling it to us from the beginning." Younghyun suggests and the others nod.

Wonpil looks at them, biting on his lower lip. He debates within himself for a moment but in the end he does. He tells them everything, from Park Jaehyung, to their parallels, to what he thinks the reason is behind everything. His friends all wear a similar expression of sympathy, frowns on their faces and sad eyes and Wonpil finishes the story, slightly breathless. The younger sucks a breath in through his teeth, exhaling shakily.

"So, you think you're being thrown back to the past to... _save_ Park Jaehyung?" Sungjin asks and Wonpil nods hesitantly.

"But...why?" Younghyun asks. "He's from the past, he's dead in our time so why do you _need_ to?" He pauses, eyes widening at the same time as Wonpil's. "Unless...you don't need to, but—"

"I...want to." Wonpil completes the sentence himself, voice so quiet like he's scared of the implication. "I..."

"Hyung." Dowoon calls out and Wonpil's eyes find his—glossy with tears and his breathing picks up as the realization sinks in.

"I don't want to lose him." Wonpil admits, a tear falling down his cheek. "I—I don't know why, it's stupid, I barely know him, I've only known him for a few days but—" A sob wracks through his chest. "I d-don't—"

Sungjin slings an arm around Wonpil's shoulders, pulling the younger to his chest. He rubs a hand up and down Wonpil's back, resting his chin on his head. "Hey, shh. It's okay. It's going to be okay." Wonpil sobs quietly, sniffing and choking on his tears. Sungjin looks at his friends with a pained expression, Younghyun and Dowoon looking at them with alarm.

It takes Wonpil a few moments to calm down, wiping his tears and snot on the sleeves of his sweater. Dowoon offers him a glass of water and he accepts it gratefully, downing the liquid as his friends watch him with concern.

"Sorry," he says when places the glass down. Younghyun shakes his head immediately.

"Don't apologize. It's nothing to apologize about." Younghyun frowns. "How are you feeling?"

"In pain." Wonpil laughs bitterly. "Stupid and all that."

"Let's have movie night." Dowoon pipes up out of nowhere. "Maybe you need to take your mind off of it for a bit, so you can give your lil' noggin a rest and you'll be able to think clearly afterwards."

Sungjin opens his mouth, a rejection on the tip of his tongue but Wonpil nods, surprising him. "Yeah. Movie night sounds fun." Wonpil smiles and Dowoon pumps a fist up the air.

"We're watching Ghibli—"

"No! Ghibli is emotional, we've had enough tears." Younghyun argues.

"But I want to watch Porco Rosso!"

"We can watch Marvel?" Wonpil suggests weakly.

"Not a fan." Sungjin adds as he sips his water. Younghyun and Dowoon gasps dramatically, pointer fingers pointing at Sungjin with their other hands covering their mouth. Wonpil laughs at their antics.

"How dare!" Dowoon cries out.

"Unacceptable!" Younghyun declares.

"Idiots." Sungjin smiles, shaking his head.

Dowoon and Younghyun argue more between themselves as Wonpil and Sungjin sit back and watch their friends and laugh amongst themselves. Sungjin glances at Wonpil.

"You sure you'll be okay?"

Wonpil nods, eyes still trained on the other two. "I'll have to be."

"Tell us when you travel back and what happens, okay? We'll try and help you with what we have."

This time, Wonpil looks at him and smiles. "Thank you, hyung. Really."

"Of course."

They leave after Younghyun concedes to Dowoon, the younger smiling brightly at his hyungs as he slips out of his chair and does a little dance. Wonpil laughs while Sungjin shakes his head in embarrassment. The group disperses to attend to their next classes, bidding goodbye and promises of meeting up at Wonpil's apartment in the evening.

—

"I brought chicken!" Younghyun greets as Wonpil opens the door. The younger moves aside to let him in.

"You're the last one to arrive this time, the other two are already hogging all the blankets and comforters." Wonpil informs him, taking the box from Younghyun's hand since he knows that Younghyun would rush to the living room atter hearing that.

"Hey!" Younghyun calls out and Wonpil chuckles. _Just as I thought_. Younghyun smiles at him before belly flopping onto the mass of cloth in the middle of the room. "No hogging!"

Wonpil places the box down on the coffee table they shoved forward to make room for the pillows and blankets earlier. He hums, walking into the kitchen to grab a few drinks. "What do you guys wanna chug?"

"Cola!"

"Water, please!"

"Do you have coffee?"

"No coffee at night, hyung!" Wonpil replies and Younghyun lets out a dramatic 'No~!'. Sungjin shushes him, slapping the other's arm playfully and Younghyun reacts as dramatic as before.

"That hurt." Younghyun says, a pout on his lips. Wonpil comes back into the living room with cans of cola and bottles of water in his arms, placing them beside the chicken before taking a seat beside Dowoon. He burrows himself under the blankets, sighing in content.

"Thank you, Pil~!" Younghyun says in a singsong voice.

"You're welcome, hyung." Wonpil replies. He taps Dowoon's arm to catch his attention before asking. "What are we watching? I wasn't paying attention to the argument earlier."

"We decided to watch Porco Rosso before watching Parasite. That good with you?" Dowoon informs him and Wonpil gasps lightly.

"Hell yeah, that's good with me. Those are great films." He takes the remote and turns Netflix on, Younghyun whooping as he navigates through the show list and finding the first movie of the night.

—

The credits roll and the everyone stretches simultaneously, joints cracking and sighs of relief echo in the room.

"That was so good." Younghyun comments. "Ghibli movies never get old, man."

"Accurate." Dowoon adds.

"Pee break, anyone?" Wonpil asks and they all stand up, letting the blood flow through their limbs again after barely moving throughout the whole movie. Wonpil flicks the lightswitch on, Dowoon walking into the bathroom with a mumble. Sungjin sits on the couch, deep in thought.

"Whatcha thinking, hyung?" Younghyun asks, sitting beside the older.

"Hm? Oh." Sungjin sighs. "I was thinking back to Wonpil's situation."

The boy in question looks at their direction, tilting his head. "What's up?"

"I remember you mentioning that Park Jaehyung guy before. Like, even before today."

"Oh." Wonpil sits back down on the floor, pushing his legs under the blankets. "You mean the time I borrowed Dowoon's book?"

"I heard my name." Dowoon reenters the living room, nudging Wonpil's leg with his foot, asking him to scooch over. Wonpil looks up at him before huffing, moving towards the middle and Dowoon buries himself in the blankets as well, resting his head on Wonpil's shoulder. "What are we talking about?"

"Park Jaehyung." Younghyun tells him.

"The author?"

"Who else?"

"Didn't hyung say he met someone named Jae recently? Here in 2020, I mean." Dowoon asks

"Yeah, but we don't know if he's a Park. He could be a Seo or a Kim or something." Wonpil corrects him, even though deep down he _knows_ it is.

Dowoon steers the conversation back to the topic. "So what about Park Jaehyung?"

"Sungjin hyung was just asking about him."

"Oh right. You borrowed the book from me right? How is it?"

Wonpil bites at his lower lip nervously. "I can't read through it." He confesses. "I don't think I should. I'm witnessing him write the whole book and yet I have access to its finished form already. It just feels...odd to me."

Sungjin nods. "I see." He gets off the couch and sits on the floor with the other two, Younghyun following after. Wonpil smiles to himself when he notices how Sungjin wasn't complaining about skinship and cuddling, instead resting his head on his hyung's shoulder.

"Who has the remote?" Younghyun mutters.

Dowoon digs under the covers and pulls the remote from under it. "Got it."

"Parasite time."

...

"Forgot to turn off the lights." Dowoon says, standing up and earning groans from everyone. The youngest of the group pouts, causing his friends to coo and laugh at him.

—

The movie finishes but everything in the room is still. Everyone but Wonpil slowly fell asleep during the movie, no matter how much they fought to stay awake and watch through it.

 _Probably exhausted_. Wonpil notes. _I would know_.

He reaches over carefully to grab the remote, taking extra caution as to not jostle Dowoon—who was sleeping on his shoulder—awake. He shuts the TV off, letting his head rest on the sofa behind him. He listens to his friends' gentle snores, staring at the ceiling. Moonlight and light from the street lamps were creeping onto the surface, illuminating the room the slightest bit. Wonpil sighs, getting as comfortable as he can in this position. He knows everyone will wake up with a crick in their necks anyway.

 _I wonder how Jae is_.

He turns his head towards the window, watching as a breeze flows past, causing leaves to fall from the tree outside his apartment. A smile finds its way onto his lips without him realizing it. His eyes start to feel a bit dry.

_Jae..._

He blinks.  
  
  


And wakes up in 1975.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> right so,, sorry if it took me awhile to get this out. i have no excuses, really. its just really a series of unfortunate events rip
> 
> tldr, if u follow me on twitter u would know that i got absolutely caught up in the comeback hype and the news and everything, then 2 days after cb day i sprained my wrist! i couldnt type too long bc my left wrist ached too much if i did
> 
> after i healed i finished this chapter but i really wasnt happy with it so i decided to rewrite it lol but then i fell into a rabbit hole called _**nier:automata**_ ( _very_ painful video game). and then i tried to write again but i got hit with a block and then i got anxious bc the day when they release results for the uni i applied for is slowly creeping at us (they still havent released it nd i am dying).
> 
> so there
> 
> anyway!!!!! again sorry if i took a while nd sorry if this chapter is no good. ill try to do better on the next! (also sorry if theres been too many time jumps that it might be confusing aaaaaaa)


	6. vi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey
> 
> a little heads up, this chapter starts off with a depiction of a panic attack. so if you don't want to read through that, you can skip until you see the paragraph starting with " ** _he makes a dash for the door.._** " (a lil bit after the block quote)! you'll get the context still, so it's okay to read past it.

Wonpil blinks at the darkness of Jae's bedroom, the clock hanging on the wall ticking loudly in his ears. The sound echoes in his brain, foreboding and making his blood run cold. His heart starts to slam against his ribcage as his breathing starts to speed up. His vision slowly starts to adjust and he tries to will his limbs to move. He pats the space behind him, hoping that Jae was sleeping beside him. He isn't.

He slowly kicks off the blankets and tries to breathe slowly, a hand on his chest as he stands up. Pulling himself to the door, he reaches for the doorknob with a trembling hand, trying to shake off the anxiety that was currently consuming his entire being. He sucks a breath in, shakily exhaling when he opens the door.

The living room is equally as dark when he calls out Jae's name. He squints, hoping to see the outline of Jae's sleeping form on the couch. He steps out of the threshold of the bedroom, finding it harder to breathe every step he makes. Jae isn't on the couch.

"Jae?" He calls out weakly once more. He flicks the light switch on, fluorescent lights illuminating the empty apartment. He gulps down the growing lump in his throat as he walks towards the sofa. His brain was starting to run a million thoughts per hour, question after question after question entering his mind and leaving him dizzy.

 _I didn't fall asleep. There was no way I did. I blinked, that was it. So why... so why?!_ He wipes the tears threatening to fall from his eyes as he tries to actually think. _How did I get back here? Why am I here? Why isn't Jae here?_

He pads to the kitchen where a container of sandwiches sits in the middle of the dining table, a sticky note attached to the lid.  
  


> _Pil!_
> 
> _You've been asleep the entire day and I don't know if you're going to wake up soon but I figured if you do, you might be a bit hungry and I won't be around to make you some food. I made these a few minutes past 6. I know it's late and I really didn't want to leave you alone, but I didn't tell you that I'm about to finish the manuscript. I only wanted to bring you home so you can sleep on an actual bed and not on sofas anymore, and it looked like you really needed it. I went back to the office to wrap things up, so if I'm not there when you wake up, please wait for me._
> 
> _I'll be home soon._
> 
> _Jae._   
>    
> 

_A...whole day?_ He blinks. _If I've been knocked out since I travelled back and didn't wake up the next day..._ His mind trails off as he tries to wrack through it for a reason, eyebrows furrowing.

 _Is the reason why I'm here...is because Jae is in danger_?

His stomach drops at the thought. His hand flies out to grab onto the table to stabilize him, bile creeping up his throat as his stomach churns, cold sweat breaking on his forehead. His vision swims as he hyperventilates, entire body shaking as he tries to make his body _move_ , so he can rush out into the night and find Jae and make sure he's safe. Tears are threatening to spill from his eyes but he blinks them away, squinting and blinking even more to try to get his vision to focus.

"Jae...Jae..." He mumbles to himself like a mantra as he crumples the sticky note in his hand, standing upright and scanning the place for his coat. "Do I need a coat? I don't. I need to _go_."

He makes a dash for the door, pulling it open and slamming it shut behind him as he runs to the office. The cold, night air breezes past his face as he does, breathless to the point that he has to swallow a couple times so he can try and breathe properly. The tear tracks on his eyes make his face feel even colder. The light of the office comes to sight and he tries to run even faster, his lungs burning from both the cold air and the lack of oxygen. It's a surprise that he hasn't tripped yet, really.

He stops in front of the glass door of the office, panting with his hands on his knees. He's sweaty, he's cold and breathless, and he looks like a mess but he pulls the door open, not giving a damn about what he looks like. _What matters right now is Jae's safety_.

Sungjin comes out of his room as soon as Wonpil steps into the threshold looking crazed. His eyes widen when he sees the younger, placing the papers in his hand down onto the nearest table and he briskly approaches Wonpil with hands outstretched to steady him. "Wonpil? What's wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"Where's..." Wonpil wheezes. He gulps before continuing, gasping. "Where's Jae?"

"In his office. Why—" Wonpil doesn't wait for Sungjin to finish his sentence before bursting into Jae's office, startling the writer.

"Wonpil!" Jae exclaims, standing up and immediately jogging to the younger. "What's wrong? Hey, talk to me."

He places his hands on the younger's shoulders before looking into his eyes, glossy with unshed tears. Wonpil lifts his hands up to grip onto Jae's arms, eyes shaking as he scans his face. His hands then go up to the taller's shoulders before cupping his face, and he breathes. He drops his hands to Jae's waist before pulling him into a hug.

Jae hugs back, feeling how much the younger was shaking. Wonpil's breathing is still erratic, hands gripping onto Jae's sweater as he buries his face into the crook of Jae's neck. He brings a hand up and pats Wonpil's head, trying to calm the younger down. "Wonpil?"

The boy in his arms doesn't answer, instead hugging him tighter. "Wonpil, please talk to me. What's happening?"

Wonpil sniffs, exhaling shakily. "I—" He starts before cutting himself off with a sob. "I was so—so scared." Jae can feel Wonpil's tears on his skin and it breaks his heart.

"Scared of what?"

"So scared." Wonpil repeats, sniffing and trying control his sobs. "So _fucking_ scared." He's starting to choke up, and he continues to speak as if he couldn't hear Jae. "I thought—" He gasps for air, fingers gripping tighter on Jae's sweater. "I thought something b-bad happened."

Jae frowns. "Wonpil..." He trails off as Wonpil sobs quietly against him. "Hey. I'm here, don't worry. It's okay. It's okay now. You're with me. You're here."

It takes a few minutes before Wonpil stops crying and a couple more before he pulls away from Jae's embrace, eyes red and puffy from crying. Jae holds him by his shoulders, face obviously filled with worry. "Hey." Jae calls out to him as Wonpil wipes his eyes. "You okay?"

Wonpil shakes his head. "No." He exhales, not finding enough strength to look up at Jae. Instead he lets his head hang low, letting the last few hiccups escape him.

Jae wordlessly pulls him to sit on the sofa, grabbing his coat from the table and putting it around Wonpil. "I'll be right back." He says before leaving the room. Wonpil looks up and sighs when the door softly clicks shut. He rests his elbows on his thighs before pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. He tries to calm hinself down further, focusing on his breathing.

Wonpil doesn't notice Jae come back into the room. "Pil." Jae's voice calls him. "Look at me, please?"

Wonpil hesitantly obeys, lifting his head up. He squints at Jae, eyes stinging when the lights on the ceiling blares from behind the taller. Jae pats his eyes dry with a soft cloth before handing him a mug of water. He takes it into his hands and drinks slowly, eyes closing.

"What happened?" Jae asks as he takes the mug back, carefully placing it on the table.

Wonpil looks at Jae who is now crouching in front of him. He wrings his hands together as he sighs, unsure of how to explain. "I...I got scared."

"Of what?"

Wonpil frowns and begins to explain. "You said in your note that I've been asleep for the entire day. I travelled back to my time as soon as I fell asleep last night and I tried to force myself to sleep again so that I could wake up on your time. At least, that's how I theorized how this entire time travel thing works. It didn't work, obviously. I spent the entire day anxious and jittery for some reason. My friends picked up on it too so they told me that I could tell them what's up and I did. They...made me realize something." Wonpil averts his gaze as Jae hums.

"What was it?"

Wonpil closes his eyes, dropping his head low as he mutters something, almost inaudible. I...I realized that I don't want to lose you."

Jae drops his head down too after hearing those words. He sighs loudly before lifting his head back up. "Wonpil..." He says, reaching out for one of Wonpil's hands. "You're not even from this time. With the way you're reacting...it means I'm already dead in your time, aren't I? Not letting me die while you're here won't change anything. I'm already _dead_." He takes a sharp intake of breath as he finishes. "I've thought of this happening. I just didn't want it to be the case." He adds quietly.

Tears drop from Wonpil's eyes again before he could stop it. "I-I know that." He stutters, voice wobbling. "I know that already. I just didn't want it to happen while I'm still _here_. While I'm still travelling back and forth. While I can still spend time with you." He sniffs and immediately brings his free hand up to his face. "I-I don't know, I just don't want to lose you."

The air is heavy around them when Wonpil stops talking, both of them unmoving as they let the words they exchanged with each other sink in. Jae was the first one to move, sighing once more and gripping Wonpil's hand firmer. "Why?"

Wonpil doesn't reply. Jae doesn't expect him to. Instead, he continues talking. "I'll stay safe while you're gone, I promise you that. I know that when you're asleep, there's a high chance that you're back at your time and that honestly give me comfort. I promise to stay safe, but promise me that you'll take care of yourself too when you're home, okay? Promise me you'll stop worrying about me when you're in your time."

Wonpil drops his hand from his face and looks into Jae's eyes, a pained expression on his features. "Jae—"

"Promise me, Wonpil." Jae repeats sternly. "I won't be able to think straight if I know that you're worrying yourself thin in your time. You're supposed to be living in the present without having to worry about me. I'm supposed to be insignificant, not a part of your life since we live in literally different generations. I need you to live your life the way it's supposed to be—without me. I know you're scared, I know that you already care about me too much—and I'm glad that you do, because I think I'm starting to be the same way—but I also know I can't let you get too attached to something from way past. So promise me."

"I can't." Wonpil sniffles. "I can't promise you that. I'll break it. The moment I step back into 2020 I _know_ I'll be thinking about you and that there won't be a way for me to know you're _okay_." Wonpil nibbles at his lower lip, anxiously continuing his statement. "Jae, you already mean something to me. I don't know what it is yet, but I know it's there."

"Don't." Jae quickly, but gently chides. "Don't let it mean anything. It might hurt you more than it should. This entire thing is crazy, I don't know why you travelled back here, but please." He pauses. His voice is quiet when he continues, breaking at the end of his statement. "I don't even know what I'm asking from you anymore. Just—Just don't."

Wonpil doesn't say anything after that. Jae lets go of his hand and stands up, wobbling for a bit as his blood rushes back to his legs. He wordlessly collects his things from his desk, slinging his bag over his shoulder before walking back to Wonpil. The younger looks at him with sad eyes, and Jae mirrors his expression.

"Let's go home."

—

The walk home is quiet and heavy. They're walking a feet away from each other, the empty space between them physically displaying the awkward rift that's starting to form between them. Wonpil doesn't want it to happen.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your writing." He meekly says, almost afraid that it might upset Jae further. He tucks his hands into the pockets of Jae's coat. "And for scaring you. And taking your coat..."

"Wonpil."

"I'm sorry—"

"Not another apology, Kim Wonpil." Jae cuts him off, a hand gently taking hold of Wonpil's arm. "I'm not mad. I'm upset, but not at you. More at myself, but never you. It's not your fault, none of this is."

"But...I-I'm messing your life up."

"No, you're not. Who told you that?" Jae laughs breathily, trying to lighten up the mood. "You're not messing my life up. If anything, you're brightening it up." He lets go of Wonpil.

They continue to walk, the distance between them slowly disappearing. The tension between them was slowly dissipating as Jae continues to speak.

"The universe and fate really likes toying with people, don't you think?"

Wonpil looks up at him quizzically. "Huh?"

"It's toying with us. Why the hell would it throw you back here? Why let two specific years, 45 years apart, clash?" Jae sighs, looking straight ahead.

"It's not even supposed to be possible." Wonpil adds and Jae hums in agreement.

"If the circumstances were different, maybe things would work out, y'know? If we met in a different way...if we met as if you were from my time or vice versa, maybe things would pan out quite nicely." Jae continues on before laughing. "Ah, gosh. I'm just rambling at this point."

Wonpil giggles beside him. "I quite like your rambling."

"Yeah?" Jae glances at him for a second. "Why?"

"You're insightful. You say a lot of things you think is useless but not really. Like, you have a lot of 'useless' info that's actually quite interesting to others." Wonpil explains, making air quotes when he says _useless_. "Plus, I like listening to your voice."

"Stop flattering me, Pil." Jae smiles. "But you know..." He trails off, making Wonpil reach over to tap his shoulder.

"I know what?"

Jae's smile turns into something wistful. "I would like to meet you properly."

"What does that mean?" Wonpil pouts as they reach the front door of their apartment.

"Nothing."

—

Jae makes dinner for the both of them as Wonpil watches a comedy show called 'The Fawlty Towers' on the television. Wonpil hums at he does, comparing everything he's seeing on the show to the sitcoms he watches in 2020. _I don't understand anything_. His brain supplies, making him laugh out loud.

"Why are you laughing?" Jae asks, leaning on the doorframe between the kitchen and living room.

"I don't understand anything." Wonpil giggles. "But I still try to compare it to things I watch in the future."

"Is that an invitation for me to ask about the future again?"

Wonpil taps his chin with a finger. "That depends. Maybe it is, as long as you make sure not to fuck the future up or something."

"Language, Pil." Jae laughs, nodding. "Yes sir, I won't."

Jae finishes cooking a few minutes later and he calls Wonpil to the table. The younger turns the TV off and walks towards the kitchen, peeking into the room as he hides the rest of his body behind the wall.

"What are you doing?" Jae asks, laughing when he sees only the top half of Wonpil's head peeking through the doorway. He places down the dish on the table, making Wonpil's mouth water slightly when he sees the food. "Come here already, let's eat."

Wonpil happily skips into the room, taking a seat on the chair opposite the one Jae was pulling out. Once they're both settled down, Jae waits for Wonpil take a bite of his food, a contemplative smile on his face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Wonoil asks around a mouthful of food. Jae wrinkles his nose at it and makes a vague gesture of chewing with his hands. Wonpil thankfully understands and repeats his statement once he swallows his food.

"Nothing." Jae shakes his head, more to himself that to Wonpil. "Just thinking."

"Of?"

"Things." Jae says, averting the topic. He picks up his spoon and digs into his bowl when Wonpil kicks his leg lightly, catching his attention. "What?"

"What are you thinking of?"

Jae lifts his head up, a smug expression on his face. "You really wanna know?"

"Yeah!" Wonpil nods, licking at the sauce on the corner of his mouth.

"You." Jae says, barely keeping his face straight. He smirks a bit before lowering his gaze back to his food, shoveling a spoonful into his mouth. He looks back up when Wonpil still hasn't spoken. "Pil?"

"You..." Wonpil drops his spoon, sighing. "You're making it really hard for me to make things mean nothing, Jae."

Jae's jaw drops, a blush rapidly climbing to his cheeks as he fumbles for his words. "I—uh—I'm...I didn't—"

"I'm not saying that it's a bad thing." Wonpil adds, cutting through Jae's stutter. "I actually like it, but I wanted to try since you seem to not. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable or push my boundaries or whatever. I wanted to try for you." He smiles, lifting his spoon back up.

"Wonpil—"

Wonpil shakes his head before Jae can get another word out. "I don't wanna hear it, Jae." He smiles bitterly to himself when he thinks of what Jae might possibly say. "It's okay. I promise."

—

"I'm not sleeping on the bed."

Jae rolls his eyes. Wonpil is standing by the bedroom door, arms crossed and a pout on his lips. Jae stands up from where he's sat on the bed, stopping directly in front of Wonpil before mirroring his posture.

"And why not?" Jae asks, an eyebrow raising. Wonpil turns his head away.

"I'm not going to sleep."

"Wonpil." Jae groans and Wonpil lets his arms fall to the side, fingers forming fists as he speaks.

"I'm not going to sleep! I don't want to wake up in 2020, I don't want to wake up without having a way to check up on you." Wonpil furrows his eyebrows angrily, Jae rubbing his nosebridge as he does.

"Stop this." Jae fights back tiredly. "You need sleep."

"No."

"Wonpil."

"Jae."

Jae huffs out a breath before grabbing onto Wonpil's arm, pulling him into the room before Wonpil could even realize it. He yelps, Jae leading him to sit on the bed. He lets go of Wonpil before walking to Wonpil's previous position, looking at him. "You're going to sleep. I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Jae–"

"I already promised that I'll stay safe. I will, okay? I won't break that promise. So please, get some rest?"

Wonpil worries his lower lip as his eyes flit around the room, anxious. Jae watches him with a frown. "Hey." Jae calls out softly when Wonpil doesn't stop.

"Stay. Please." Wonpil says after awhile, hands fidgeting. "Please stay."

Jae ignores the way his heart hurts at that statement. Instead, he moves slowly to the space beside Wonpil sitting down. "Go. Lie down. I'll be right here."

"Sleep beside me." Wonpil mumbles as he gets under the covers. "And don't say you're going to sleep on the couch because I will actually cry."

"Wonpil—"

"Don't _'Wonpil'_ me, Jae." Wonpil says jokingly, a playful pout on his lips. His expression tuens serious when Jae doesn't move. "Jae, please? This way, I can try to sleep knowing you're right there." His voice is quiet, eyes trained on Jae's face.

"Alright." Jae gives in, moving to lie down on the empty space beside the younger. When he doesn't put the covers over himself, Wonpil huffs and sits up to pull it over Jae himself. He proceeds to make himself comfortable, pulling the blanket to his nose as he peers up at Jae, who was still leaning back against the headboard. Jae notices and looks back at him, a soft smile on his face. "Sleep."

"I'm scared." Wonpil says, voice filled with all the emotions he's been feeling since. "I'm so scared that I'm gonna come back here and you're gonna be _gone_."

"Don't be." Jae reaches over to pat Wonpil's hair. "I'll still be here when you wake up."

"I don't want to sleep." He repeats but his eyelids are starting to betray him. "I don't feel sleepy but..."

Jae just watches as Wonpil fights the sleep threatening to consume him, struggling to finish his sentences. He laughs lightly when Wonpil groans.

"Goddamnit, I think Younghyun hyung is waking me up."

"Younghyun?" Jae repeats, tilting his head to the side. "Were you guys together?"

"We had...movie night. Woon said...would make me...feel better..." Wonpil's words are turning into slurs, barely finishing. Jae hums instead, no longer asking and instead continuing to run a hand through Wonpil's hair.

"Then they're waiting for you." Jae whispers as Wonpil's eyes flutter close. "Go back to them, they need you."

"No..." Jae shakes his head when Wonpil mumbles. He doesn't say anything else. He waits until Wonpil's breathing steadies, indicating that he's finally fallen asleep despite how hard he tried not to. Jae feels a pang in his heart as everything that occurred finally starts to sink in; Wonpil's tears, Wonpil's words, smiles, laughs— _Wonpil_.

"Oh, Pil." He breathes out. He pulls his hand away from Wonpil, looking at the boy with a frown. He slowly leaves the bed, turning off the lights before returning to his side. He slides under the covers, propping himself up on one arm as he looks at Wonpil fondly. He raises his other hand to gently sweeping the stray strands of hair off of Wonpil's face. A small sad smile finds its way onto his lips and he sighs, laying his head down on the pillow before closing his eyes.

"Sweet dreams."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive finalized the plot and theres 4 chapters left and 2 epilogues lol _i̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶_
> 
> honestly this chapter wrote itself,, i dont remember when and how i finished this, i just remember slight editing it. so yeah, im not particularly happy with it. ive been really out of it lately, with everything thats happened and is happening. 
> 
> anyway, i want to tell you guys to stay safe. stay safe with all that's happening, and make sure that you guys are taking care of yourselves too. be on the right side of history, amplify the voices of the oppressed, and fight for their rights. here's a [carrd](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/) with ways to help the movement, as well as other issues. 
> 
> #BlackLivesMatter. stay safe out there ♡


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi im alive, rusty, and i forgot how to write so its a bit wonky but i hope u still like it!

" _Hyung...hyung!_ "

Wonpil gasps, eyes flying open as he sits up. His head turns to the right where Dowoon was crouching, shaking him awake. His arm flies out to grab Dowoon's arm harshly, startling the younger. He barely notices Younghyun and Sungjin look his way due to his reaction, confused and worried expressions on their faces.

"Hyung?" Wonpil looks at him with wide eyes, and he notices how the pieces immediately click inside Dowoon's brain. Dowoon sucks in a breath before continuing.

"Y-you came from... _there_ , didn't you?" He asks, tone careful as he gauges Wonpil's expression. The latter was still panting, eyes shaking as he tries to reassess himself in 2020. His vision finally clears and he can see the furrow in the younger's eyebrows. He nods almost imperceptibly, still kinda out of it. Dowoon hums.

"What happened?" Sungjin asks, kneeling beside Dowoon in front of Wonpil and Younghyun follows shortly. They were all looking at him, curiosity and worry swimming in their eyes. Wonpil takes a moment to take a deep breath, letting the tension fall from his shoulders as he tries to recall what did happen.

"I told him." He says eventually. His three friends all tilt their heads to the right at the same time and it makes him giggle. But his giggle dies down when he remembers everything that happened. He bites down on his bottom lip when he feels it quiver, tears prickling the corners of his eyes.

"W-wait, why are you crying? Wonpil?" Younghyun's mildly panicked voice pipes up, hands coming up to wipe the tears that start to fall down the younger's cheeks. He shakes his head, letting his fall head down as Younghyun frowns, his own hands hovering over Wonpil.

"What day is it?" Wonpil asks as he manages to compose himself a little bit. His voice cracks at the end of his sentence and he cringes. Younghyun moves to grab his phone, unlocking it and checking the date.

"October 25."

Wonpil freezes. _No_. "W-what? Can you say that again?"

"It's the 25th of October. Why?" Younghyun repeats, his voice cautious. "Is it... significant? Does something happen?"

"It's just..." Wonpil sucks in a breath, ignoring the way his heart falls to his stomach and his chest fills with anxiety. His memory of Jae's calender pops up in his head. "C-can you go and search up Jae's info?"

Younghyun nods his head and immediately types Jae's name into the search engine. Dowoon and Sungjin watches as Wonpil becomes more and more antsy by the second. Sungjin reaches out, placing his hand on top of Wonpil's as a way of comfort. Wonpil looks at him, giving him a small smile before Younghyun speaks again.

"Here it is." He says and everyone's attention is on him. "What did you want to see?"

Wonpil is silent for a second, thinking. He swallows before replying. "The date of his disappearance."

"His...disappearance?" Dowoon repeats in a small voice. He watches as Wonpil sighs, screwing his eyes shut as he waits for Younghyun.

"Hey..." Younghyun says, eyes wide as he looks at the information on his phone. "What..."

"What does it say?" Sungjin asks.

"It...it's on the 25th of October..." Younghyun reveals and his eyes immediately dart to Wonpil.

"Fuck." Wonpil curses under his breath. Tears start forming in his eyes once more and he feels like he can't breathe. " _Fuck_." He lets out a loud sob, hands coming up to hold his head. "I knew it."

Dowoon immediately goes to his side to hold his hyung as Younghyun continues to scroll through the wiki. Sungjin grabs the tissue holder from the coffee table and takes some to wipe at Wonpil's face.

"Wonpil-ah..." Younghyun's voice breaks, eyes scrunched up in sadness as he continues to read. Wonpil looks up at him, face blotched with tears.

"Y-yeah?"

"There's..." Younghyun exhales, finding it hard to reveal the info he's read. "It says here that he left a dedication on his last book. A dedication to someone named Kim Wonpil on his book titled LA Trains."

"What? H-how is that possible..." Wonpil feels a sob in his chest but he pushes it down. He lets out a heavy sigh as if it would lessen the tightness in his chest before standing up on wobbly legs and heading to his room. He falls to the floor in front of his bag where Dowoon's copy of Jae's book sits. He stares at the leather cover, hands limp at his sides as he contemplates whether or not he wants to see it.

"Wonpil?" Sungjin's voice pulls him back and he sighs again. His hands come up to wipe at his tears before he stands up again, swallowing down his emotions and exhaling slowly. He turns to his friends before flashing them a pained smile.

"We should go to class." He says instead, voice quiet. "I don't think... I don't think I can let this sink in right now."

He watches as his friends frown, nodding silently and understanding. He nods back, muttering a quiet thanks as they all get ready to go.

—

Wonpil doesn't head to class.

After dropping Dowoon off at his class, he smiles at the younger at tells him that he doesn't have a class yet. The latter seemed to buy it and lets Wonpil go, not without a thousand questions about whether or not Wonpil will be alright alone. The older of two waves it off and smiles.

He takes a walk around the campus instead, absentmindedly. He stares at the cracks on the sidewalks, listening to the crunch of the dried autumn leaves under his feet. He hums a tune to himself, trying to distract himself as he sorts out his thoughts.

He sighs. He moves to lift his head but he hits something solid as he does, an 'oof' sound escaping his lips as he belatedly hears a voice, a chuckle from the solid surface he bumped into.

"W-Wonpil? It's Wonpil, right? Are you alright?"

Wonpil looks up at the mention of his name. _Jae—his_ time's Jae—looks at him through his glasses with a small smile on his lips. He blinks, inhaling and getting a whiff of vanilla and cinnamon and—

"Hi." He says dumbly, stepping back slightly to put distance between them.

"Hi." Jae replies, the small smile still on his face. He tilts his head to the side slightly, his hair falling over his eyes as he does. "Are you okay?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah. Kinda." He chuckles tiredly. He brings his hands up to his face to rub at his eyes, giving himself a bit of time to get himself together enough to flash a smile. "Are you off to class, _Jae-ssi?"_ He asks.

Jae laughs at the honorific before shaking his head. "No, actually. I had a 7 am class and it just ended. How about you?"

"Nah, I don't have class right now. I'm just taking a walk. Clearing my head and all that." Wonpil lies.

"Well, since we're both free, why don't we head to a cafe? I believe I owe you a coffee." Jae adjusts his glasses, attempting to hide the bashful expression on his face. Wonpil genuinely smiles at his actions.

"Sure, I don't see why not. Maybe you can prove how not sus you are."

"I am _not_ sus. I promise you, I'm a gentleman." Jae grins before leading Wonpil towards the gates of their university, explaining that his favorite cafe was outside the campus.

"Are you sure this isn't just a ploy to kidnap me?" Wonpil jokes and Jae wears an offended look jokingly.

"I am _not_ sus!" The taller exclaims, his sentence ending in giggles. "Plus, I bet you're going to like the cafe we're going to. It's actually a cafe that's library at the same time. They have a loft area with beanbags and hanging plants and all that jazz. Very comfy, if you ask me."

Wonpil hums. Jae continues to talk about the coffee shop, filling in the silence. The taller must've noticed Wonpil's tired stance and decided to do most of the talking, not expecting any input from Wonpil aside from quiet hums and looks of curiosity. Wonpil gives him a smile in silent thanks.

"Here we are." Jae says, sighing as Wonpil lets his eyes roam the front of the shop. Flowerbeds of daisies and peonies sit under the awning, brightening up the place with a splash of color. Iron wrought chairs and tables are placed near it, polyester umbrellas stuck in the middle of the tables to provide shade.

"It's pretty." He comments and Jae laughs.

"It's prettier inside. Come on." He nudges Wonpil slightly, pushing the glass door open and stepping into the store. Wonpil subconsciously smiles as the familiar warmth and smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked pastries envelop him.

Jae was right, it was prettier inside. The interior is wood, painted a dark brown with some painted black as an accent color. The ceiling was high, plants hanging from it and down to the first floor. Fairy lights are wrapped around the chains holding the pots, reflecting off the polished wood of the ceiling. The loft Jae talked about is at the far wall of the cafe, overseeing the first floor. The walls of the loft has shelves filled with books, plants, little trinkets, and fresh flowers, all aesthetically placed. There are fairy lights wrapped around the railings too, as well as plastic vines and flowers. The windows provide enough natural light to brighten up the place just right, making everything feel warm and comfortable—just like a cup of coffee.

Jae walks up to the counter as Wonpil looks around in awe. He orders something for himself before looking over his shoulder to call Wonpil over. He finally stops gawking enough to follow Jae to the counter, ignoring the way the latter is trying to hold in his giggles, eyes crinkled and a huge grin on his face.

"What do you wanna get? You can choose anything, I'll pay." Jae tells him and Wonpil opens his mouth to protest but Jae brings a finger up and shakes it. "Go on."

"What would you recommend?" Wonpil asks instead, directing his attention to the menu in front of him, squinting slightly to read properly. "Cause I'm starting to realize that I've recently only gone to cafes to order iced americanos and slave away on my readings and essays." He breathes out a laugh.

Jae laughs too, before humming in thought. "Do you like macchiatos? Their macchiatos are really good."

"Is that what you're getting?" Wonpil asks, looking at Jae as he shakes his head.

"It's not what I'd order usually. It's either an iced americano for me too, or their mint latte. So yeah, I'm having a mint latte."

Wonpil makes a face. "Mint lattes?"

"Don't judge. They're wonderful. Whoever says otherwise has unrefined taste."

"That says a lot about you." Wonpil shakes his head before laughing. "Kidding. Then I'll take your word for it. A caramel macchiato please."

"Alright. You can go look for a table. Or you can go up the loft, if you want too. It's pretty cozy up there." Jae says, waving him off before facing the cashier once more. Wonpil slowly walks across the cafe, looking up at the decorations on the walls, on the ceiling, as well as at the books lining the walls. He places his hand on the stair railings, humming as he goes up to the loft.

Beanbags surrounded low tables on the loft, small candles in ceramic holders flickering in the middle of them. There are small plants on some tables too and Wonpil smiles, finding them adorable. He walks to a beanbag at the far end, dropping down on it with a sigh and closing his eyes as he sinks into it.

He stays like that for a few minutes before he opens his eyes as he hears footsteps approach. Jae looks down at him with an amused smile, hands in his coat pockets. "Hey." he greets.

"Hi." Wonpil replies, unmoving. Jae moves to sit at the other beanbag, chuckling slightly.

"You seem comfortable."

"I _am_. What the heck is this place, it's so... aesthetic or something. I feel like I'm inside a Pinterest post."

Jae laughs even harder at that, making Wonpil smile just a little more. He pushes himself up to sit properly, facing his companion. "Hi." he says again, sitting cross-legged.

"Hi." Jae chuckles. "Glad you like the place. See, it wasn't a ploy to kidnap you. I was being genuine."

Wonpil hums. "Okay, but you could pull a Hansel and Gretel where you feed me sweets—"

"Wonpil." Jae cuts him off, trying to hold a deadpan expression but a smile gives him away, making them both giggle.

The buzzer Jae is carrying started to light up and vibrate, indicating that their order was ready. Jae takes it and tells Wonpil that he'll be right back, the younger nodding.

"You don't need my help?"

"Nah. Stay here and keep being comfortable."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." Jae smiles before walking away. Wonpil watches him go down the stairs before going back to his position before. He hums a little tune to himself, pushing away the thoughts about the Jae from 1945, where he is, if he's safe, if he's even _still alive_ —

He barely registers Jae place the tray down on their table, thankfully startling him from his thoughts. He peeks at the plates Jae was placing down, letting out small gasp at the sight of the pastries.

"Jae, what—"

"I didn't know what you liked, but I assumed you liked sweets? Well, even if you didn't there are some savory stuff there too, like the meat pie over there," He tilts his head to the left side of the table as he continues to place down plates. "Their apple pie is _amazing_ though, you should definitely try it. Oh, and here's your macchiato." He places the mug down in front of Wonpil, who stared at him with his mouth open.

"How much is all this?"

"No." Jae laughs. "Come on, it's my treat. Don't worry about it."

Wonpil continues to gape at him, eye glassy and Jae just grins at him. "Go on, eat. Their scones are freshly baked too and that should go really well with your drink."

"Jae..." Wonpil looks down at his mug and the taller lets out a noise of question. Wonpil shakes his head before looking back up at his companion. "Thanks."

"No problem." Jae smiles before taking his own drink into his hands. He's about to take a sip when he notices that the other was just staring at him so he tilts his head and asks him what was up.

"Oh." Wonpil blinks, looking away. "Sorry. You just really reminded me of someone."

"I do?" Jae hums. "Well, you kinda remind me of someone I know, too."

Wonpil looks at him in shock. His heart starts beating faster, the statement mingling with the thoughts of 1945 Jae he pushed away. "I-I do?"

"Yeah. Well, kinda. I don't really know, you just give me a sense of familiarity somehow. Like, I already knew someone like you." Jae laughs, his cheeks dusting pink as he says it.

Wonpil doesn't say anything so Jae clears his throat. "What about me reminded you of that person, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, for starters, you guys both easily fluster."

"I _d_ _o not_." Jae scoffs, laughing. "Excuse you."

Wonpil smiles. "But also, you treat me the same way they do. Or, well, did." Wonpil lets out an awkward laugh before continuing. "Anyway, you guys just basically have the same kind of vibe, y'know? Book nerds."

"I think I would get along with them."

 _You two are basically the same person_. He thinks but doesn't say. "You would."

A comfortable silence settles over them as they sip their drinks and sighing in content. Jae pushes the plate of scones towards Wonpil, reaching over to grab the container of strawberry jam as well. Wonpil accepts, smiling before taking a butter knife to slather on the jam on the pastry. He takes a bite, humming in satisfaction and Jae just watches with the same smile, bringing his mug up to his lips.

"So i wanted to ask something." Wonpil says after swallowing.

"Shoot."

"How'd you find this place? Also, how is this place this unpopulated? It's so pretty and cozy in here."

Jae hums in thought. "Well...you see, as a lit major, I am an absolute book nerd. Libraries, bookstores, and the like immediately catch my attention. Basically, not a lot of people really give this place a second look because to most it looks more like library than a cafe."

"You're a lit major?" Wonpil points out, eyes wide. Jae nods, stuffing his face with the apple pie he was talking so much about.

"I am," He confirms after he swallows. "I am, why?"

"Nothing, just... yeah, very similar." Wonpil mutters.

"Oh? That person is a lit major too? That's cool."

"Well, they're more of an author than a lit major, but yeah. I guess it's kinda cool."

"Do you still talk to them?" Jae asks and Wonpil freezes at the question. He swallows down the bitter bile that threatens to climb up his throat and wills his tears away. He clears his throat before nodding hesitantly.

"Yeah." He says, hoping that his emptions don't leak out to his words. "We do, sometimes. I dunno if... if I'll be able to again anytime soon though."

"Is it alright for me to ask why?" Jae presses with a gentle voice. Wonpil's heart clenches.

"Oh, yeah. Um, they're just... a bit busy now. Publishing a book and all that jazz."

Jae lights up at that, smiling before adding another _'cool'_ but ending the conversation at that. Wonpil sighs to himself when he realizes that Jae probably noticed him being uncomfortable. The silence is back, the taller of the two lightening it up by humming a tune under his breath as he eats.

"Jae." Wonpil says and the the blond looks up at him, eyes wide with a scone between his teeth. Wonpil grins. "Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

He chews on the scone, holding up a hand as he swallows. "Oh? Alright, I guess." He tales drink before continuing. "What do you wanna know?"

"I dunno. What do you wanna tell me?" Wonpil grabs the other plate of apple pie before and sticking his fork in it for a bite.

"Well, I guess for starters... hi, I'm Park Jaehyung—"

 _"Park Jaehyung?"_ Wonpil couldn't stop himself from repeating. That bitter taste at the back of his throat is back and he swallows to get rid of it.

"Yeah, Park Jaehyung." Jae laughs. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing. I just... thought I heard it wrong. Didn't know Jae was just a nickname." Wonpil fakes a laugh before telling Jae to continue.

They talk more after that, exchaging things about themselves, Jae pointing at some books behind them and recommending them to Wpnpil while the younger finishes up the pastries. They exchange laughs and stories before Jae is looking at his watch, sighing when he tells Wonpil he has a class in a few minutes.

"How about you, Pil? Don't you have class?" Jae asks as he slings his bag over his shoulder.

"Ah, no. Not yet, anyway." He lies, glancing at his own watch. He has a class ongoing roght now but he shrugs. "I'll probably head to the library to catch up on some stuff in the meantime.

"Oh! That's a good idea." Jae replies, waiting for Wonpil to grab his things. "You know, we should do this again." He adds while Wonpil stands up, humming before holding his hand out towards Jae.

"W-what?" Jae stammers, looking at Wonpil's hand. "What do you want?"

"Phone."

"You're _stealing_ my phone? After all the food?"

"No, you absolute idiot." Wonpil laughs. "Give me your phone. I'll put my number in."

" _Oh_." Jae blushes, shoving his hand into his pocket to fish his phone out. "Here."

Wonpil does the same before he takes it, quickly handing Jae his own phone and putting his number in the latter's phone, naming the contact as " _Pil_ ". Jae gives him his phone back and he barks a laugh when he sees that Jae has named himself as " _definitely no longer sus_ ".

"No longer sus, huh..." Wonpil smiles.

"Definitely not sus." Jae grins back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i jus wnna cry about the fact that despite college kicking my ass . .. jae saw my comment on twitch about getting 2 scholarships yesterday nd said i was doing a good job :> *happy noises*
> 
> anyway !!! i have my major prelims next week but im happy that i was able to get some time to write again aaaaaa i missed this sm,, its a bit ugly rn but im gnna try and feel my way back into writing hooray
> 
> also idk how to write interior decorating lol sorry if it was a bit confusing and _yes_ i enjoy peppermint lattes they are comfy drimk

**Author's Note:**

> it's been around 5 months since i last posted nd thats a fic i dont think ill finish _oops_ uh anyway, day6 may comeback !
> 
> if you guys have questions or anything you wanna tell me, hmu on twt: [@pjhyngs](https://twitter.com/pjhyngs?s=09)


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